Hold onto the Nights
by xFauxdilocksx
Summary: Nathan and Haley met Brooke in High School, they met Peyton in College; What happens when Brooke and Peyton meet each other. AU Breyton, contains an OC. Sucky summary, just read and you'll see. Read and Review.
1. Chapter 1

**Hey you lovely people. I'm punching out another new first chapter, because when inspiration comes around you just can't fight it. My other stories aren't forgotten though; I'm just taking a short hiatus :)**

**Anyway, I can't really come up with a decent summary for this yet, but it is AU and contains an OC. M for later chapters. Anyway… On with the show!**

* * *

_**Hold onto the Nights**_

**Prologue…**

_Just when I believed I couldn't ever want for more, this ever changing world pushes me through another door._

"No, we're not going to do this, we're not going to stand here and cry because nothing's going to change." Brooke Davis said with tears in her eyes, standing on the River Court in Tree Hill, North Carolina with her best friends in the whole world.

In less than twelve hours, she'd be flying off to New York to conquer the fashion world, and her best friends would be going off to college and going their separate ways; her friends' Lucas Scott, Rachel Gatina, Mouth McFadden, Skills Taylor, Nathan Scott, and Haley James Scott.

"In four years, after we've graduated, or taken over the fashion world, or did whatever it is we're going to do, we'll be right back here." Lucas said, confirming Brooke's speech about nothing changing. "To the future."

"To the future."

. . .

Nathan and Haley Scott were attending Duke University; with a new-born son and a basketball legacy to continue, they decided to go to school in-state and rent a house near to school, even moving Nathans mom Deb in as a Nanny for baby Jamie so they could study and embrace college life.

Nathan had a basketball scholarship and was studying Sport's Management, while Haley was studying Literature and Teaching.

The married couple walked hand in hand into a freshmen orientation after-party in the University dorms, the place buzzing with happy and excited students.

Looking around, their eyes landed on a tall, skinny, curly headed blonde, making out with another girl in the middle of the room, clearly embracing college life.

And before they knew it, said blonde was in front of them.

"This your girlfriend?" The blonde asked Nathan, her hand gesturing to Haley.

"Wife, actually." Nathan laughed.

"Awesome." The blonde smirked, and before Nathan could comprehend it, the mystery blonde was kissing his wife.

"Dude, you just kissed my wife!" Nathan exclaimed, but with an amused smirk on his face, while Haley stood there dumbstruck.

"Dude, its college! And you loved it." The blonde retorted.

"Only a little." Nathan smiled.

"Yeah…Anyway, I'm Peyton Sawyer." The blonde introduced herself.

Peyton grew up in South Carolina with her Dad, and decided to go to school out of state but close enough to home that she could visit her Dad, a drudging boat captain, whenever he was home from sea.

She was studying Music and Business.

She was also a very out and open lesbian.

"I would apologize for kissing your wife, but it broke the ice and now we're chatting, so I won't. There's method in my madness you know." Peyton smiled, and Haley could see a real kindness and genuineness in the blonde's eyes.

"Well Peyton Sawyer, that's a risky little game." Haley laughed.

"Well married girl, at least you can say you had a lesbian experience in college." Peyton pointed out.

"Touché…" Haley nodded.

"Hi Peyton, I'm Nathan Scott, and this is my wife Haley." Nathan extended his hand, but Peyton moved to stand between them and put her arms around both their necks.

"Nathan and Haley Scott, I think we're going to be great friends. Let's go get some beer!"

That right there was the start of a beautiful friendship.

* * *

**One year after high school…**

"Brooke Davis, this in an important meeting with very rich investors and you're sitting there crying because you can't go back to that god forsaken town to see those god forsaken friends." Victoria Davis, Brooke's bitch of a mother ranted, as she paced back and forth in front of her daughter. "The time has come where you have to choose between your career and your social life!"

"What social life? I haven't been home since the day I moved here!" Brooke argued.

"This is your home now! Do you want to have a successful clothing company, Brooke?"

"Of course I do!" Brooke replied quickly.

"Then this is your life now. You're a busy girl, with a lot of rich people to impress, you don't have time for Tree Hill anymore, that part of your life is over. It's time to grow up, Brooke." Victoria said, towering over Brooke who was sitting on the couch.

"But…"

"This discussion is over!"

"Okay." Brooke whispered in defeat.

"Now go get dressed; this business dinner could secure us that last investor we need to get Clothes Over Bro's up off the ground."

. . .

It was exam time at Duke University, and Peyton was sat at a desk behind Haley in a class they shared about finding inspiration to make music, art, literature, etc.

It was all very boring and Peyton sat there with her pen in her mouth, her exam paper boring her to tears as Haley scribbled away at her own in front of her.

A girl with long, black, hair that was pulled into a braid, stood up and handed her paper to their professor with an arrogant cockiness at being the first finished, and Peyton leaned forward to whisper in Haley's ear.

"Fucking Natalie Bennett, what a fucking asshole!"

"I know right, fucking D-bag." Haley agreed, laughing quietly.

"Um, Miss Sawyer you do realize that leaning forward in your seat and whispering to Mrs Scott would lead one to believe that you're trying to plagiarize Mrs Scott's paper." Their professor commented, and Peyton sat back with her hands up in surrender as Natalie Bennett turned around and sent her a cocky smirk, receiving an offensive hand gesture from Peyton in retaliation.

"Why can't lesbians just all get along?" Haley laughed quietly to Peyton.

"We can, Bennett's just a douche!…"

* * *

**3 years after high School...**

"Can you call Prime and make a dinner reservation please? Make sure I get the table in the wine room." Brooke said, her assistant Millicent following behind her. "Any night next week will do."

"You're booked all of next week." Millicent replied.

"Then the week after. _This_ looks great, but make the belt a quarter of an inch wider." Brooke said, stopping to look at one of her designs that was currently being modeled.

In two years, her company had grown in success and she was now a household name. Clothes Over Bro's, and Brooke Davis herself, were now in demand, and she was living the life of success and fame in the glitz of New York City.

"Will that be all?" Millicent asked, and Brooke smiled.

"Yes. And thank-you Millie, you're doing great."

Brooke walked into her office, where Victoria was waiting for her.

"Macy's want to franchise Clothes Over Bro's." She started, handing Brooke some papers. "But I think we can do better, we're couture, we want to be more exclusive."

"Mother, we are still a new company, we don't want to get too big for our boots." Brooke reasoned.

"Our Prada boots?" Victoria retorted. "Brooke, we're a high end, couture, clothing company, and we're doing remarkably good in that market. But, I knew that you'd feel that way, so I scheduled the conference call anyway."

"Thank-you. And I know we're doing well, and I thank you for that. You really have helped me achieve what I wanted." Brooke smiled.

"Precisely; getting you away from that hell hole town in North Carolina, and those toxic, _people_, you called friends was the best thing I ever did." Victoria said snootily, before walking out of Brooke's office, closing the door behind her.

Brooke shook her head in annoyance at her mother, before sighing sadly.

She missed Tree Hill, and she missed her friends.

She hadn't been home in three years, and she barely talked to any of her friends anymore, as Victoria was around _all_ the time.

She wondered if she even still had friends anymore.

But she did have her dream; her company, and sometimes you have to take the bad with the good.

Brushing the thought from her head, she pulled out a sketch book from her desk drawer and began to sketch designs for an idea Victoria had told her was stupid... Baby Brooke; a clothing line for baby's and toddlers, inspired by her nephew and God-son, Jamie Scott, who's life she'd entirely missed.

. . .

"Natalie, you're in Wisconsin and you're pissed because I went to a party? That is_ not_ okay!" Peyton said angrily down the phone, excusing herself from Nathan and Haley and the rest of their friends, and moving to quiet part of the garden away from the party.

"I honestly cannot fathom what she see's in Bennett, we hate Bennett! And at one point, Peyton hated Bennett!" Haley said in frustration and slight sadness for her friend, who was in an absolutely toxic relationship.

"Most of the time, I think Peyton _still_ hates Bennett." Nathan commented, looking over at the girl who'd become his best friend, and Haley followed his line of vision.

Peyton was pacing, her hand tangled in her hair, as she yelled down the phone at Natalie.

Peyton and Natalie had gotten together one year earlier and it became clear very early on that Natalie was extremely bitchy, selfish, and possessive, particularly towards her girlfriend; her bitchiness coming out when Peyton went against her wishes, such as going to parties when she wasn't around.

She'd tried to alienate Peyton from all of her friends, but when she failed at that she'd taken to being a complete and utter bitch to anyone Peyton was close to, and Nathan and Haley were well aware that Natalie held a clear disdain for them. It helped that Peyton put Natalie through the ringer every time she disrespected them though, it was strangely satisfying to see Natalie cry.

But Nathan and Haley could not, as hard as they tried, comprehend why Peyton stayed with her.

But Peyton was their best friend, and they supported her no matter what, because that's what friends do.

"I think you may have a point. Man, I hate Bennett!" Haley huffed.

"I know... what a fucking D-bag."

* * *

**Four years after High School...**

"I can't believe this is it; four years and now we're going to be on opposite side's of the country." Haley said, wiping the tears from her eyes.

"Hales I'm only a plane journey away, and I'll text every day, I promise." Peyton laughed.

"You better!" Haley pouted, pulling Peyton into a hug in the airport.

"Four years ago; four years ago you kissed my wife and now look at us." Nathan laughed.

"Dude, I still maintain that you loved that." Peyton smirked.

"Okay, maybe I did." Nathan admitted, and they shared a laugh while Natalie let out a disgusted scoff from her spot beside Peyton.

"Seriously!" Peyton exclaimed, exasperated, turning to her girlfriend.

"Sweetie, we have to go check in or we're going to miss our flight."Natalie said, crossing her arms.

"Well I'm saying goodbye to my friends, so just wait for two fucking seconds!"

With another scoff, Natalie turned on her heels and walked away with their luggage.

"D-bag." Nathan commented, and Peyton laughed.

"Oh Nate, I am going to miss you."

Haley pulled Peyton in for another hug and asked; "are you going to be okay?", and Peyton knew that she was referring to the fact that she was moving across the country and moving in with Natalie.

Peyton pulled away and held Haley at arms length. "I'm moving to LA to be freaking Record Label Executive, I'm going to be just fine!" She smiled big. "And you, you're moving back to Tree Hill to be a teacher while your husband just got drafted to the Charlotte Bobcats; we're all going to be okay."

"I'm going to be so lost without you." Haley smiled softly.

"I love you, Hales. And you, little man..." Peyton started, picking Jamie up and perching the four year old on her hip. "I'm going to miss you _so_ much. You remember how to use Skype right, just like I taught you?"

The little boy nodded.

"Good, I'm gonna Skype you every day, okay?" Peyton said.

"Good! Chester and I are _really_ going to miss you." The little boy said in a very exaggerated voice.

"Chester huh?"

"Chester loves you too, just like I do."

"I love you too, kid." Peyton said, setting him down on the ground again. "I have to go guys, but I really am going to miss you."

They said their final goodbyes and Peyton left to join Natalie, Nathan and Haley grimacing when Natalie put her arm around Peyton's waist and pulled her in close.

"Fucking Bennett!"

_. . ._

_"I've emailed you the itinerary for your trip to Milan." _Victoria said to Brooke on the phone as Brooke sat at the dining table of her big, fancy, but very lonely, New York pent house apartment.

"Okay, thank-you." Brooke said, then hung up the phone, being in no mood to talk to her bitch of a mother.

In the year that had passed, Brooke had grown to resent Victoria more than she ever had.

She had a company, and money, but she also had a big gaping hole in her heart where her friends should be, but her mother had made her lose sight of the important things and now she was desperately lonely.

She missed her friends every day, and she often wondered how big Jamie was now. It had been four years since she'd saw them.

She often felt the urge to call them, but something else always came up, but tonight there was nothing, she had a free evening and all she could think about was Tree Hill.

She'd saw on the news a few days earlier that Nathan had been drafted to the NBA, and she wondered what Haley, Lucas, Skills, and Mouth were doing with their lives now that that they would be graduated.

Rachel was once a model for Clothes Over Bro's but Victoria forced Brooke to fire her after the red head had become a liability, effectively ending their friendship.

As Brooke thought about her friends, she didn't realize she was crying until she saw a tear splash onto the glass dining table.

Toying with her phone, Brooke opened up her contacts, and dialed a number she wasn't even sure was still connected.

_"Hello?"_

"Hi, it's Brooke..."

_"Oh my God, Brooke, how are you? It's been so long." _

"Hey Hales, I miss you. I was so happy to hear that Nathan got into the NBA." Brooke said, trying to sound cheerful, but just like old times, Haley saw right through her ruse.

_"Brooke, are you okay?"_

"Yes... no. It's been four years, Hales, and I miss you all so terribly." Brooke cried.

_"Hey, I don't care how long it's been. You're not just my friend Brooke, you're my family. Talk to me." _Haley said in her motherly tone.

"I don't even know what to say, I just..." Brooke continued to cry.

_"Brooke, are you happy?" _Haley asked softly.

Brooke sighed and closed her eyes. "No. I have my company, I have money, I have what most people can only dream of, but it's not enough, you know?"

_"Then what's going to make you happy?" _Haley asked.

"I miss you guy's Hales. I've missed Jamie's whole life, I miss Tree Hill, I miss my normal life... I just to want to have a home again." Brooke explained.

_"Lucas once told me something that Karen told him when he was sixteen years old, and it stuck with me, so I'm going to say it to you now; 'There's only one Tree Hill, and it's your home'."_ Haley said, and Brooke could hear the smile in her voice.

"Tree Hill _is_ my home. I want to come home, Hales. I'm coming home!" Brooke said, her voice sounding happy for the first time in their conversation.

_"Then come home to your family, Brooke, to hell with everything else."_

* * *

**Next Chapter- 1 year later, where our lovely story begins.**

**Well that's the prologue… I know its sort of a mumble jumble of information, but everything in it is relevant to the story… keep that in mind :)**

**Let me know what you think, should I continue, etc?**

**Reviews are like hugs for a writer, just so you know :P**


	2. Chapter 2

**I'm so happy about the response I received for this story; you are honestly the best bunch of folks in the world… I love my fanfiction people!**

* * *

**1 year later…**

"I mean, it's every freaking day now. Letter's from Lawyers, phone calls from the board; she wants my company and she won't let up until she either gets it or gets fired completely." Brooke huffed, leaning her head on her hand as she sat at the breakfast bar in Nathan and Haley's kitchen.

"Can she really do that, I mean, it's your company right?" Haley asked.

"Unfortunately yes she can; I have majority ownership of the company; I have fifty-one percent to her forty-nine, but if she manages to convince the board that I'm not doing my job, then majority ownership means nothing." Brooke sighed.

"So the board can fire you?!" Haley asked incredulously.

"Yes, they can. _But,_ they can also fire Victoria, which is what I'm hoping will happen, because complete ownership would then revert back to me."

"I'm sorry, Brooke, it totally suck's that you have to go through that." Haley smiled sympathetically.

Brooke was about to respond when Jamie ran into the room with Haley's iPad in his hand.

"Mama, it's five o'clock, can I go on Skype to see if Aunt Peyton's online yet?" He asked excitedly.

"Sure you can buddy." Haley smiled.

"Thank-you!" Jamie smiled, beginning to run out of the room, before he turned around again. "Hi Aunt Brooke, you look pretty today."

He was out of the room before Brooke could respond.

"He's such a little cutie." She smiled, and Haley smiled back with that proud Mama look on her face.

. . .

Peyton walked into her apartment, closing the door behind her, finding Natalie lying on the couch, watching the Kardashian's on TV.

"Hey Bambi." Natalie smiled lovingly, looking up at her girl. "How was your day?"

Peyton smiled, sitting down on the couch next to her girlfriend, and Natalie sat up, allowing Peyton to press a quick peck to her lips.

"My day was great. I had a couple of meeting's with some potential new bands, I confirmed a release date for Mia's first album, _and _things are moving forward with expanding the company; I just have to finalize where I want the first Red Bedroom franchise to be located." Peyton smiled big.

"That sounds exciting." Natalie commented, slightly deadpan.

"How was your day, honey?" Peyton asked, smiling softly; she really didn't need to ask how Natalie's day was, she already knew.

Natalie sighed. "How do you think? I'm getting tired of sitting around the apartment all day, you know? I need a job so badly and I can't seem to get one."

When they moved to LA one year earlier, Natalie managed to find a job as a Junior Editor at a small publishing house, but eight months in, the company went bust, and Natalie had been unemployed for the past four months.

She'd tried to find work, but due to the economic climate, publishing houses were playing it safe and hiring people more experienced than she was, and all of the other jobs she'd applied for such as administrative work and waitressing had turned her down stating that she was 'over qualified'; she just couldn't win.

And although she didn't admit it, she was slightly envious of her girlfriends growing success; in one year, Peyton had grown an extremely successful record label from absolute scratch, and was becoming increasingly established in the music industry; while she was unemployed and hadn't, as yet, even set one toe onto the career ladder.

"It's going to be okay, someone is going to see that you're a smart, talented, very promising, potential editor. Sometimes these things just take some time." Peyton smiled.

"But you managed to take over the music industry in all of about five minutes…" Natalie pouted, resting her head on Peyton's shoulder.

"I was just lucky I guess…"

"I'm glad your franchise is going ahead, you did work hard for it." Natalie sighed.

"Speaking of…" Peyton said, sitting up straight and facing Natalie. "How would you feel about giving up the job search in LA and looking for something in the town I'm going to franchise in?" Peyton asked, a sparkling smile on her face.

"What do you mean?" Natalie asked, intrigued.

"I know we've only been here for a year, but aren't you _so _over the LA lifestyle? I just want to live in a little town, in a little one story house, with a cute little back yard, and maybe even get a dog… or a cat, lesbians stereotypically get cat's right?" Peyton laughed, and Natalie smiled a bright smile that only a handful of people had ever seen.

"That sounds… really fucking nice."

"It does. So let's do it!" Peyton said enthusiastically, and Natalie's smile grew bigger.

"Wait, does this mean you've found a location to franchise in?" Natalie asked.

"I have, I've even found an office and gained planning permission to build a studio. If you're game for the move, then there really is nothing stopping us."

"Where is it?"

"It's, um…" Peyton started, treading lightly as she knew that Natalie was probably going freak out. "It's in Tree Hill…"

"Oh hell no!" Natalie exclaimed, then she was on her feet and stomping into their bedroom, slamming the door behind her.

Sighing, Peyton followed her into their bedroom, where she found Natalie sitting on their bed, her knees pulled up to her chest, a scowl on her face.

"You're kidding me, right?" Peyton asked, somewhat sarcastically, leaning against the door-frame.

"You always do this, you just take it upon yourself to make decisions, fuck what I think!" Natalie argued.

"Fuck what you think? No, I have to make decisions because anything that involves me having contact with anyone else besides you is completely unacceptable to you. If I let you make decisions, I probably wouldn't even have a job that required me to make any damn decisions!" Peyton retaliated.

In the year they'd been in LA, their life had become a fight for control, with Peyton making decisions and plans which always benefited the two of them, and Natalie fighting her on them, as Natalie still tried to control every aspect of Peyton's life, even though she failed every time. Their fights always resulted in Peyton threatening to leave, and Natalie eventually backing down.

And if Peyton was honest with herself, their little game was starting to get very old.

Natalie didn't respond, she simply pouted her lips and turned away.

"Yeah, that's what I thought." Peyton said, turning to walk out of the room, but Natalie stopped her.

"Why Tree Hill, North Carolina? Why not move to Birnamwood, or anywhere else in Wisconsin actually?"

"Because Natalie, I seem to recall that when we were making decisions about where to go after graduation, you said you didn't want to go home to Birnamwood, you said that since you grew up in Wisconsin, you wanted to spread your wings elsewhere, yes?" Peyton asked matter of factly, her hand on her hips.

"I did say that." Natalie sighed. "I suppose I can't argue with myself."

"Exactly, so excuse me for thinking that still stood. I miss my friends in Tree Hill, I'm not going to pretend that wasn't a factor in my decision, because it was…" Peyton started, only to be interrupted by Natalie.

"What about your friends in South Carolina?"

"Oh my God! Jake is in Savannah, which is in Georgia, Anna moved to London, and my Dad is living in North Carolina now to be near his base in Hilton Head. _You know that_!" Peyton yelled, angry at Natalie's sarcastic jibe.

Natalie just huffed and turned away again.

"Yes, I miss my friends, I haven't seen them since we moved here, which I know you're _more_ than glad about. But that wasn't the only factor in my decision to franchise in Tree Hill." Peyton started, and Natalie turned around to face her again.

"I did a lot of research, and North Carolina has become somewhat of a record label executive's dream. There's so much unsigned talent that I've found through YouTube and Facebook, and the best of it is, there are no labels set up in the whole of the state, it's a completely untapped market. And it's not just that; North Carolina is quickly becoming a business hot spot; in the current economic climate, new independent businesses are setting up in cities such as Charlotte or Raleigh, instead of New York or LA, because of the cheaper rent costs… businesses such as Publishing Houses." Peyton explained.

"Independent business's who'll go bust, just like the last one I worked for did." Natalie commented snarkily.

"No, you know what Natalie, this move is the right thing to do for both of us, and you know it! So it's happening, and you're just going to have to accept it!" Peyton said, laying down the law to her stubborn girlfriend.

"And if I don't?" Natalie challenged.

"Then I guess I should just pack my bags right now." Peyton said flatly, and Natalie's face fell in immediate panic.

"Tree Hill is pretty nice… you know, geographically speaking." Natalie muttered quietly. "And I suppose I could learn to cope with your friends."

Peyton sighed softly, "thank-you."

Just then, she heard the soft ringing from her iPad in the living-room, and left Natalie in their bedroom while she went to retrieve it, smiling softly when she saw Haley's name flashing across the screen.

"Hey little man." She smiled, seeing Jamie's little face pop up on screen as she sat down on the couch.

. . .

Jamie and Peyton had been chatting on Skype for a little over fifteen minutes; he told her all about his plans for the summer now that he was on vacation from school, and about how he planned to spend lots of time with his Daddy, who had quit the NBA at the end of basketball season as the amount of time he spent away from his family simply wasn't worth it.

Peyton remembered seeing the announcement on the news weeks earlier and calling Haley immediately, only to find her friend crying with happiness; it seemed that the news that Nathan would be home all the time was something that Haley couldn't argue with.

Plus, he'd gotten a job coaching basketball at his old high school, the same school where Haley worked, and Lucas and Skills also coached. It was a pretty sweet deal.

"Hey Jamie, can I talk to your Mama for a little while?" Peyton smiled.

"Sure Aunt Peyton, I'll go get her. Aunt Brooke's here, you'd like Aunt Brooke, you should come over and meet her _really_ soon." Jamie smiled.

"I'm working on it Buddy." Peyton laughed.

"Here's Mama. I'll talk to you tomorrow Aunt Peyton, I love you."

"I love you too, bye Buddy."

Jamie handed the iPad to Haley then ran upstairs to his bedroom.

"Hey long distance Blondie, how are you?" Haley smiled.

"What's up, foxy! I have a question for you."

"Oh you do? Fire away my dear."

"Well, remember a few months ago, you mentioned that you wanted to get back into music? Well, I have a proposition for you…" Peyton started, and Haley nodded for her to continue.

Haley was somewhat of a local celebrity during her high school days, but she never pursued any kind of big musical career.

"Well, I need a producer and/or my first artist for the new franchise of my label."

"Oh, that sounds pretty exciting, I would love to do both of those things. But, I have a teaching job, and a five year old son, I barely find the time to get out of Tree Hill never mind out of the state." Haley replied.

"Oh, well lucky for you the location of the new Red Bedroom franchise is right on your doorstep." Peyton smirked.

"What?" Haley asked, her excitement beginning to grow.

"It's in Tree Hill. That office space in Tric that was available for rent…?" Peyton said, and Haley briefly wondered how Peyton knew about that, until the ball dropped. "Yeah, it's mine. I've been talking to Lucas about it for a while, but I asked him not to tell you so it would be a surprise."

Peyton knew Lucas, and Skills and Mouth, from when they used to drive over from UNC to visit Nathan and Haley at Duke; Lucas' Mom owned Tric, a club in Tree Hill that they used to visit during their college days, which his Mom had left him when she relocated to New Zealand with her husband and baby daughter.

"Shut-up, really?!" Haley asked, getting more excited by the second.

"Yeah, and everything was finalized yesterday, he even got me planning permission to build a studio in the space." Peyton explained.

"So what does this mean, you'll finally be visiting?" Haley's eyes were sparkling with excitement now.

"Better than that actually. We're over the LA lifestyle, I'm a small town gal, Hales, you know that…so, I'm training my vice president to run the LA office and Natalie and I are relocating completely." Peyton grinned.

"You're moving to Tree Hill?" Haley was now grinning from ear to ear.

"I'm moving to Tree Hill." Peyton nodded, and she began to laugh when Haley's whole face lit up as she began to scream and jump around with excitement.

Peyton stayed quiet until Haley had calmed down.

"So I guess you're on board then?"

"Hell yeah! Oh, I have an idea, let's not tell Jamie and it can be a surprise for him. Just think of his little face when he walks into the room and you're there, how cute will it be!" Haley smiled.

"I like that idea." Peyton smiled back. "Well I'm glad you're happy, because as you probably would have guessed; Natalie isn't so much."

"Well you know what I say; _Fuck _Natalie!" Haley replied, and Peyton giggled, completely unaware of Natalie's presence in the hallway.

With look of pure disdain on her face, Natalie turned around and walked back into the bedroom.

Haley and Peyton finished their conversation and hung up, and Haley turned to Brooke.

"So, I'm finally going to meet the famous 'Aunt Peyton'." Brooke smiled, and Haley nodded with enthusiasm.

"Yes, and you are going to love her Brooke, she is so amazing! She's just one of those people, you know? Her girlfriend Natalie though, that girl is the textbook definition of an asshole." Haley explained, and Brooke let out a hearty laugh, it wasn't often that you heard Haley talk like that.

"The way Jamie talks about Peyton, I can tell that she's awesome. I hope we can be friends." Brooke mused, smiling softly.

"You will be, I just know it." Haley grinned. "Oh I can't wait to tell Nathan the good news!"

Brooke put her hand on the back of her neck and rested her elbow on the table again, a soft smile on her face and a thoughtful look in her eyes.


	3. Chapter 3

**Hey guys, I cast Natalie, go onto my profile and click on the link and you can see Natalie Bennett come to life. Let me know what you think :)**

* * *

"Sweetie, have you seen my photo album, you know the one from freshman year with photos of Nathan and Haley in it?" Peyton asked, walking into she and Natalie's bedroom, her brows furrowed and a hand tangled in her hair.

They had managed to fit their life in LA into two large suitcases, ready for their big move to Tree Hill. But Peyton was reluctant to leave without her photo album and their flight was in three hours.

"No baby, I haven't." Natalie smiled softly. "I mean, do you _really_ need it?"

"Yes, some my best memories from college are in that photo album, it means a lot." Peyton sighed.

Natalie's eyes widened. "Best memories? Really? Don't you think you have something right in front of you that's much more valuable and not just a memory?"

Peyton sighed again. She wasn't doing this today. She wasn't having this argument with Natalie again; she had a life before Natalie, a life that she had very fond memories of, and Natalie seemed to forget that sometimes.

"Natalie, come on, how many times do we have to have this discussion." Peyton said softly, in an almost pleading voice.

"I thought I meant more to you than a stupid photo album." Natalie pouted.

"You mean; more to me than Nath…" Peyton started, but she stopped herself. "Natalie, don't be crazy. You know that a photo album _does not_ mean more to me than you do." She said seriously.

"Then you won't mind leaving it behind. We really do have to get to the airport."

Peyton sighed again and closed her eyes, "fine."

Peyton turned around to walk out of the room before being stopped by Natalie;

"I love you."

Peyton forced a smile. "I love you, too."

Then she turned on her heels and left the room, while Natalie pulled a brown leather-bound photo album out of her bag and threw it in a box labelled 'trash'.

* * *

"What'cha doing?" Jamie asked, hoping up onto a chair next to Brooke at the breakfast bar in Nathan and Haley's kitchen.

Haley was at the stove making the food for Peyton and Natalie's arrival in a few hours.

It was decided that Peyton and Natalie would live with Nathan and Haley until they found a house, much to Natalie's dismay, but it made sense for them to do so.

Plus Natalie didn't mind Peyton seeing her friends so much when she was there with her.

"Not much buddy, just playing on your Mama's computer." Brooke responded, her eyes glued to the laptop in front of her.

Jamie peered at the computer before turning to Brooke again.

"Is that my Aunt Peyton's Facebook page?"

Haley turned to Brooke with wide eyes and a warning look on her face; Jamie wasn't supposed to know that Peyton was coming home, it was a surprise.

"It, um…yes, yes it is. I figured that since she means so much to you and your Mom and Dad I should send her a friend request." Brooke smiled, and she heard Haley sigh in relief.

"Really?" Jamie smiled widely. "Did she become your friend?"

Just then, a notification popped up on the screen;

'_Brooke Davis is now friends with Peyton Sawyer.'_

"Yes Jamie, she did."

"Awesome! Go on her pictures and I'll show you them," The little boy smiled excitedly.

They spent the following few minutes looking through Peyton's photo's, and Brooke had to admit that Peyton was a very attractive woman… in her photo's anyway, she couldn't really say that for sure until she met her.

She'd saw photos of her from Nathan and Haley, but she could see lot's more now.

"That's Aunt Peyton and her Daddy at Graduation. Her Daddy's name is Larry, he lives on a boat, he's _cool._" Jamie said, his eyes wide in exaggeration.

"Sweetie, he doesn't live on a boat, he _works _on a boat. He has a house in Hilton Head, remember?" Haley laughed.

"I know, but he lives on a boat _sometimes._" Jamie shrugged, and Haley couldn't argue.

"Okay, show Aunt Brooke more photo's before everyone arrives for dinner."

He clicked onto the next photo.

It was a photo of Peyton and Natalie cuddling and smiling at Graduation.

Jamie sighed. "That's Natalie."

Ah… Brooke had heard all about the infamous Natalie Bennett.

"So that's Natalie huh?"

"Yup." Jamie sighed again.

"You sound like you don't really like her." Brooke subtly pressed Jamie for information.

"It's not that I don't like her…" Jamie started, his voice sad. "It's just that she's kind of boring…and she's always mad at Aunt Peyton all the time, even though Aunt Peyton always tries to make her happy."

"Really?" Brooke asked; she knew the feeling, even though it was from her mother.

"Yeah, I sometimes don't like that Aunt Peyton lives far away with Natalie, because I'm scared that Natalie makes her sad." Jamie said, putting his head down slightly.

"Jamie, Aunt Peyton is okay, I promise." Haley smiled.

"I just want Aunt Peyton to get a different girlfriend." Jamie sighed, and Brooke and Haley both smiled softly at him. "I know! Why don't you be my Aunt Peyton's girlfriend!" He finished happily, looking at Brooke.

Haley and Brooke both laughed. "Well Buddy, the problem with that is; I don't like girls like your Aunt Peyton does, I like boys."

"Awww man!" Jamie huffed, before jumping down from his seat and going into the bathroom.

"Well I think that's the first time that anyone's been disappointed that I'm _not _gay." Brooke laughed, and Haley simply shook her head in amusement, turning back to the stove.

Brooke turned her attention back to the laptop in front of her, a weird feeling washing over her.

The blonde in the photo was rather captivating and Brooke couldn't take her eyes off of her, nor could she stop the sinking feeling that she felt when she looked at the brunette who had her her arm wrapped around her.

And the worst of it was, as weird and unexplainable as the feeling was, it was also annoyingly familiar.

* * *

"James Lucas Scott, get in here right now!" Haley yelled, setting her phone down onto the counter, and Jamie ran into the kitchen.

Peyton had text to say she was almost at the house; they'd gotten a cab from the airport.

"I'm pretty sure I asked you to clean your room before dinner and you didn't." Haley said, with her hands on her hips.

"No you didn't, Mama." Jamie answered, confused.

"I think I did, so go clean it. Now."

She knew that she was being ever so slightly cruel; she didn't ask him to clean his room, but he needed to be upstairs when Peyton arrived.

"But everyone's here, we have guests, Mama!"

"Go clean your room and you can stay up later tonight, deal?"

"Okay, fine…" Jamie huffed, leaving the kitchen and trudging upstairs.

"And don't come back down until it's done."

* * *

"Oh my God, I can't believe you're here!" Haley yelled in excitement, running down the drive to meet Peyton, who had just climbed out of the cab.

"Hales, I've missed you so much!" Peyton met her in the middle and gave her a tight hug. "You have no idea how good it feels to be here."

"You look _good_." Haley said, holding her at arm's length.

"You sound surprised." Peyton laughed.

"No, I…I like you're hair, it really suits you." Haley smiled, the blonde's hair had taken on more of a straighter look than the curls Haley had always been used to.

"You saw my hair on Skype, Hales…" Peyton arched an eyebrow.

"You know what I mean."

"I know…"

As they talked, Natalie appeared by Peyton's side.

"Natalie, how are you." Haley forced a smile.

"I _was_ good, but now that I'm here, I'd say that I'm averaging at about fine." Natalie replied bitchily, and Haley just stood there not knowing what to say.

"Sawyer, I've missed you man, it's great to see you!" Nathan said, giving her a quick hug before moving to get the suitcases from the trunk of the cab. "Bennett."

"It's Natalie!" Natalie seethed through gritted teeth.

But as they talked, Peyton's eyes caught sight of a beautiful brunette lingering by the front door.

A brunette with shoulder length chestnut hair, porcelain skin, and dimples that were visible even from their distance from each other.

She quickly sussed that the brunette was Brooke Davis, she knew who Brooke Davis was; from magazines as well as photo's on Haley's Facebook.

Yes, beautiful was an accurate word to describe Brooke Davis.

Peyton moved of her own accord and approached Brooke. It was almost like she was on auto-pilot.

"Hi, I'm guessing you're the one and only Aunt Brooke." Peyton smiled, and when Brooke made eye-contact with her, she was completely mesmerised.

When she thought that Peyton was attractive in her photos, it was a _huge_ understatement, the blonde was stunning.

Brooke's palms became sweaty and she could hear her heartbeat in her ears.

"Ye…yeah, hi, you must be the famous Aunt Peyton." Brooke stuttered, extending her hand to Peyton.

"That's me."

"Peyton, this is Brooke." Haley smiled, as she and Natalie joined them at the front door.

"I know." Peyton smiled, never breaking the eye contact she'd made with Brooke.

"Great, now why don't we head in and you can get reacquainted with Lucas and the guys?" Haley suggested.

"Sound's great, Hales." Peyton smiled and she and Haley walked past Brooke, into the house, Brooke's eyes following them until she remembered Natalie was still standing there.

She turned around to see Natalie still standing there with her eyebrows raised in question.

"Oh, hey, Brooke Davis." Brooke smiled, extending her hand to Natalie. She'd heard all about her, but she thought she'd try to talk to her anyway.

"Natalie Bennett." Natalie answered, ignoring Brooke's hand and brushing past her, into the house.

Brooke walked in behind her with a shocked look on her face. "What a fucking D-Bag!" She muttered to herself, then she jumped when she heard someone clear their throat.

Brooke turned around to see Peyton standing by the stairs.

"Oh, I'm sorry…we'll I'm not sorry, I…" Brooke stuttered, feeling like an idiot because Peyton had heard her calling Natalie a D-bag.

Peyton stayed quiet for a few seconds out of amusement at seeing Brooke squirm, then she let out a genuine laugh. "It's cool, that seems to be the general opinion around here anyway. She's very rude, but you get used to it."

Brooke just smiled softly at the blonde who was now walking into the living room in front of her. What Jamie had said earlier had been haunting her mind since the moment Peyton climbed out of the cab;

'_She's always mad at Aunt Peyton all the time'._

* * *

"Jamie, come on downstairs!" Haley yelled upstairs to Jamie.

"Mama, I'm not finished cleaning my room yet."

"It's fine, just leave it. Just come downstairs." Haley smiled, excited for Jamie's reaction to seeing Peyton.

The little boy ran downstairs and saw Haley standing their with a smile on her face.

"Mama, why are you smiling like that?" He asked, looking up.

"Like what?"

"Like you do when you've got me a present." He said slyly.

"Well...I wouldn't say I've got you a present, but..." Haley said, motioning towards the living room door, and Jamie ran into the room, stopping dead in his tracks, a huge smile appearing on his face, when he saw who was sitting on the couch.

"Aunt Peyton, you're here!"

"Hey Jimmy-Jam!" Peyton stood up, and Jamie ran to her and jumped into her arms.

"I missed you, _this_ much! Jamie exclaimed, holding his arms out.

"I missed _you_ even more than that." Peyton replied in the same exaggerated voice as Jamie.

"Hey Aunt Peyton, have you met Aunt Brooke yet? She's pretty huh? But she doesn't like girls, she like's boys." Jamie asked, and Haley gasped.

"She does huh?" Peyton started, looking at Natalie for reasons she didn't quite understand. "Well that's up to her. But I have met her, yes, and she's very nice." She finished, smiling at Brooke, and Brooke smiled back, loving the way he blonde's smile was making her heart race, even if she didn't want to acknowledge why it was happening.

* * *

**Remember, go onto my profile and check out my Natalie :)**


	4. Chapter 4

**Hey guys! I'm still super inspired with this story... lack of updates was because I was on Vacation, then I had to punch out updates for WDIYB and IBSLTYF first :)**

**To the _Guest_ who reviewed 'It's been so long that you forget' today: Since I can't PM you about your review, I shall leave a reply here and hope to god that you read this story: I completely agree with you, my story updates have been lacking as of late, I've just lost inspiration with my older stories. I have so many new story ideas that my old ones have become hard to write. I'm really trying, and I hope that my lacking hasn't put you off of reading my stories, because your support really is appreciated.**

**Dedicated to PeytonsComet; I love that you're a fan of the trainwreck that is Natalie Bennett. It rocks when someone likes a character that came from your own imagination :)**

* * *

"So we're walking down this little street in LA right, nowhere fancy, and this guy stops me, and he's like 'You're Peyton Sawyer', and I'm like 'what the fuck' right…" Peyton said with enthusiasm, sitting at the dining table enjoying the meal Haley made for them.

They'd had a few drinks and caught up on old times after Peyton and Natalie's arrival, then Haley had served dinner.

"Aunt Peyton swears a lot," Jamie told Brooke, laughing.

"So I turn around, and the guy is Mick fucking Jagger! Mick Jagger! Apparently his daughter, or niece, or something, is a really big fan of my first artist Mia, and he knew who I was. I was star struck, I couldn't even speak!" Peyton finished.

"Yeah, you really are an international fucking celebrity"." Natalie deadpanned sarcastically, bringing her girlfriend down to nothing.

"So Natalie, what do you do?" Brooke asked, trying to draw the attention away from Natalie's comment.

"I have a literature degree." Natalie answered, her tone short, not even bothering to look Brooke in the eyes. "But I know what you do, _Brooke Davis." _

Peyton looked at Brooke and sent her an apologetic smile, and Brooke smiled back, inadvertently causing the two to lock eyes.

"So anyway, what are your plans for tomorrow, are you going to do some Tree Hill sightseeing?" Haley asked Peyton, breaking the awkwardness that had developed from Natalie's snide comments.

"We thought we'd get straight onto the house hunting, huh Natalie? We're meeting our realtor tomorrow morning." Peyton smiled.

"We saw a few places that we like online, so… the sooner we're out of this house the better." Natalie said, her tone short again, raising her eyebrows towards Haley, almost as if she was challenging her to a bitch-off.

"Natalie, enough!" Peyton warned through gritted teeth.

"Umm, okay… how about we all go out on the deck after dinner and have a few beers, since it's a nice night?" Haley suggested, completely ignoring Natalie's blatantly rude comment.

...

"So Hales and I are in this club right, and I'd taken out this _huge_ tab, so I go to settle the bill and my credit card was gone and I was all out of cash, so we ended up having to wash glasses to pay for our drinks. Anyway, you know Hales doesn't drink much, but this night she was _so_ wasted and puked all over the club manager's shirt. Oh my God, I've never seen anything so funny in my life!" Brooke laughed, telling Peyton about some of her and Haley's high school escapades.

Peyton and Natalie where washing and drying dishes, while Brooke was tidying them away.

"The first time I met Haley, I kissed her, you've heard that one right?" Peyton laughed in response, and was surprised when Natalie didn't make a comment about said event.

"Oh yes, that's a very fond memory of Nathan's." Brooke giggled, just as Haley walked into the kitchen.

"You know you don't have to do that, right? We have one of those magical things called a dishwasher…" Haley laughed.

"It's cool, we don't mind, you did cook for us." Peyton smiled, and Haley shook her head and began to load up the dishwasher.

"Nonsense, this is your welcome to Tree Hill party. You can help with dinner and cleaning and stuff tomorrow. Now help me load this up so we can head outside."

After loading the dishwasher, they went to head outside, Haley and Peyton walking in front of Brooke and Natalie.

"You know Brooke, you might look like a girly girl, but I want to see how fast you can sink a beer." Peyton laughed, turning to Brooke, and Brooke laughed back and sent her a wink before Peyton and Haley disappeared out the door.

But before Brooke could walk out, Natalie caught her arm.

"Hey Brooke, could I ask you a small favour?" She asked, almost sweetly at first.

"Sure Natalie, what's up?" Brooke smiled, falling for Natalie's act, until Natalie's eyes hardened and she leaned in close to Brooke's face.

"Quit the eye sex with _my_ girlfriend, got it?" Natalie seethed through gritted teeth.

But Brooke laughed, causing Natalie to move away from her in slight shock; surprised that Brooke wasn't in the least bit intimidated… this unnerved her.

"Oh sweetie, if you're trying to be a bully, you're failing_ miserably_. And, by the way, about some of your comments at dinner; my friends were kind enough to offer you a place to stay and some amazing hospitality, so don't you _dare_ disrespect them in my company! In fact, don't disrespect them at all!" Brooke warned, seething. "And your girlfriend? I've known you both for _five minutes_ and I can already tell that she can do worlds better than you. Peyton is Haley and Nathan's friend, so therefore she is my friend, and when you bring her down and hurt her like you did at dinner, you hurt me, and trust me honey, you don't want to hurt me. So I suggest you start respecting my friends and respecting your girlfriend…" Brooke continued, grabbing Natalie by the face with one hand, "And put a smile on that pretty little face of yours, before I give you a permanent frown. _Got it?"_

Brooke let go of Natalie's face and the bitchy brunette stumbled backwards. "Who knew Brooke Davis had some bite… try me little fashion girl, I've got my eye on you and my girl!"

"You don't scare me in the slightest, I can see right through your insecure little façade. And by the way, _I'm_ _straight!_" Brooke said, walking past Natalie and out into the garden.

"Yeah, bet you are…" Natalie murmured sarcastically, following Brooke out into the garden.

...

"Nathan and Haley are asleep, and I'm tired. Come on, we're going to bed." Natalie said as she leaned against the door to the back yard, he arms folded, already dressed in her pyjamas.

"I'm not ready to go to bed Nat, plus Brooke's still here." Peyton told her from her seat on the deck, a full beer clutched in her hand.

"Well I am! Brooke knows her way out." Natalie huffed.

"Natalie, that's rude, you have to stop that!"

"It cool, don't worry about it, I was just leaving anyway. I've got to take inventory at my store in the morning." Brooke said, taking a long swig of her beer.

Natalie smirked at Brooke then walked back into the house.

"I don't mean to be rude, but…" Brooke started.

"Why do I put up with her rudeness? Why do I stay with her? Don't I know that I can do better? I've heard them all…" Peyton finished.

"Well… why do you?"

"I...um… Natalie's been through some stuff in her life. Plus, she did something for me before we got together, so I know she has a good heart…" Peyton explained, but Brooke picked up on the fact that she was being deliberately vague.

"Oh, well you know her best, I'm sure if you choose to be with her there's a good reason for it." Brooke smiled. "I'm going to run to the bathroom before I head home."

"Okay you win; I'm coming to bed…" Peyton sighed, walking into the house behind Brooke, where Natalie was in the kitchen making a decaff coffee to take to bed.

Natalie went upstairs, and Peyton stayed downstairs to show Brooke out and lock up behind her.

"It was really awesome meeting you tonight, Peyton, you're just as charming as Jamie told me." Brooke smiled, leaning against the opened front door.

"Likewise Brooke, you're just as… eccentric, as Jamie told me. We should hang out some more, since I have just moved here and all." Peyton replied with a giggle.

"I'd like that." Brooke smiled, rummaging in her purse. She pulled out a pen and paper and scribbled something down before handing the paper to Peyton. "Here's my number, text me and we'll do lunch?"

"Sure thing." Peyton winked. "Have a safe journey home."

As Peyton locked up, Natalie stood at the top of stairs shaking her head… Brooke Davis really couldn't take a hint!


	5. Chapter 5

**Hey guys, I have a question… Do any of you read Leyton? I want to get back into writing some Leyton oneshots… I posted a oneshot a few nights ago, but I didn't work and I know it wasn't my best work, so I deleted it. So, what I'm asking is; Do any of you have any requests for a Leyton oneshot?, or even if you'd like to brainstorm with me? Drop me a PM or leave your thoughts in a review. **

**Thanks in advance if you can help me :)**

**Anyway, c5, here goes :)**

* * *

"This is so pretty." Peyton smiled, walking around in a circle in the living-room of a house she and Natalie where viewing.

It was a two bed, one story, house, only a short walk down the road from Lucas' place.

"It is… It just feels so…homey, you know?" Natalie smiled from her spot in the middle of the room.

"The young couple who lived here before started their family here; they're only selling because they're expecting another baby and need more space. This is a happy home, it just has that vibe." The realtor smiled. "In my opinion, this is the perfect house to start your life in."

'Start a life in…' Peyton thought to herself. 'A life with Natalie; a whole entire life…that was a long ass time.'

But then she looked over at her temperamental girlfriend and saw her smiling brightly, a smile that reached her eyes, a smile that only a select few had ever seen, a smile that still managed to melt Peyton's heart; because she knew that for at least those few moments, Natalie was truly happy.

So Peyton walked over to her girlfriend and wrapped her arms around her waist, resting her head on her shoulder.

"Do you like it, baby?" Peyton asked softly and happily.

Natalie turned her head towards Peyton and grinned widely . "I love it."

"Do you want it?"

Natalie continued to smile wide, "Really?"

Peyton simply nodded her head.

"I really, really, love it, Bambi." Natalie's eye's lit up in excitement.

Turning to the Realtor, Peyton smiled. "We'll take it."

* * *

"They know exactly what they're looking for, so it will either be really easy or really damn hard for them to find a place." Haley said, sipping on a coffee in a small café in Downtown Tree Hill, Brooke sitting opposite her.

"Yeah, I'm sure they mentioned last night that they had a viewing for a house near Lucas' place. That would be cool if they got that one, huh?" Brooke smiled.

They were talking about Peyton and Natalie buying a house.

"It sure would. But would Natalie really go for a place so near to 'one of us'." Haley laughed.

"Peyton said that when they viewed it online before they moved here, Natalie was pretty excited about it, so I don't know." Brooke replied.

"Yeah… I guess I'll find out when I get home. Although technically it's Peyton's choice, it is her house." Haley pointed out.

"What?" Brooke furrowed her brows.

"It's Peyton's house. She's the one with the mortgage; she's the one buying it; Natalie's just going to be living there with her… Natalie's unemployed, she lost her job about five months ago." Haley explained.

"Oh! That's why she was such a bitch when I asked her what she did for a living last night!" Brooke said, realization hitting her.

She hadn't told Haley about her and Natalie's face off the night before, she'd chosen not to, deciding to let it go and let bygones be bygones.

"Haha, no… Natalie's a bitch _all the time, _although that wouldn't have helped." Haley laughed. "You and Peyton seemed to hit it off though."

"We did! Oh my God, what an awesome girl! She's just one of those people, you know? I felt like I'd known her for years." Brooke beamed.

"She's amazing huh?" Haley smiled.

"I've known her for a day and I can already see why Jamie loves her." Brooke said, "But on a similar note, I can also see why he doesn't like Natalie…"

"Yeah, well Natalie doesn't exactly make it easy for herself…"

"You're right, I mean I did try with her and she just shot me down in flames. It makes you wonder, huh, why Peyton stays with her…"

"If I'm honest, I think Peyton feels like she has some sort of obligation to her." Haley commented, her tone turning serious.

"Yeah… Last night, just before I left, Peyton mentioned that Natalie did something for her before they got together, but she was very vague about it, and I didn't want to pry…" Brooke said, subtly prying for information from Haley.

"She did…" Haley said, being vague herself.

"Yeah…" Brooke said in a drawn out voice, willing Haley to continue.

Haley sighed. "Okay, you can't mention this to Peyton, she may tell you herself someday if you two get close, or she may not; it never gets spoken about."

Brooke nodded, her eyes narrowing slightly, showing Haley that she had her full attention, then Haley proceeded to tell her about how Peyton and Natalie went from Hate to 'Love'.

"When we were in College, Natalie was in a Sorority."

"Natalie!?" Brooke laughed in surprise.

"Yeah, it was some sort of equality and diversity thing for sorority's to rush lesbians. The president of Natalie's sorority told Peyton that they actually wanted her though, but Peyton replied with 'stick your sorority up your pasty white ass.' Haley laughed. "Natalie's sorority loved Peyton. Anyway, one night we were at a party at Natalie's sorority house and there was a guy there who no one had ever seen on campus before, and he was acting kind of strange.

Brooke nodded, and Haley continued her story.

"The guy kept following Peyton around, and obviously she gave him the brush off, but he kept on bugging her. Now this party was really busy, and everyone was drinking, so we didn't notice that Peyton had disappeared until one of the girls in the sorority started freaking out because her room key had been stolen out of her purse." Haley continued.

Brooke's eye's had narrowed further now, wondering where Haley was going with the story.

"I don't know all of the story accurately because I was downstairs, but Natalie was being her usual self and decided to go to bed early because she wasn't having a good time. She said that when she was coming out of the bathroom she saw the creepy guy from the party carrying a very wasted Peyton into the bedroom next door to her's. She said that she thought nothing of it at first and went to bed as normal, but when she tried to sleep, she started to realize that something wasn't right… why would Peyton go into a room with a guy, right? So she got up and tried the door to the room, but it was locked, and being the smart girl that Natalie is, she picked the lock with a hair pin, and when she opened the door… Peyton had passed out and the guy had her stripped down to her underwear, about to rape her. He'd spiked her drink with Rohypnol when he'd been following her around."

"So Natalie saved her from being raped?!" Brooke gasped.

"Yeah, but not without consequences. Now I don't know for certain what happened in the time between Natalie finding Peyton, and us finding them, but we still hadn't noticed that Peyton was gone when the girl who's room key was stolen ran into the living room crying and screaming for help; she'd gone upstairs to look for her key. Everyone ran out into the hall, and that's when we realized that Peyton was missing. And I don't know what it was, but Nathan and I and all of our other friends seemed realize at the same time that Peyton was in trouble, so we pushed through the crowd and ran upstairs, but what we saw was more than we expected; The guy was standing over Natalie, punching her in the face and kicking her in every part of her body that he could get to, and all the while Natalie was still trying to crawl back into that room to get Peyton…Blood was pouring out of every part of her that it could, he'd beaten her to a pulp, but she wouldn't give up."

"Oh my God, Natalie did that?" Brooke asked, suddenly finding a bit of respect for the bitchy girl she'd met the day before.

"Yeah, Natalie took a pretty savage beating so Peyton wouldn't get hurt."

"Wow." Brooke breathed, sort of in awe of Natalie in that moment, even though the girl was a royal bitch most of the time.

"Nathan, and our friend's Gregg and Ryan, and, well, every other guy who could make it upstairs, got the guy off of Natalie and beat the shit out of him, while Natalie and I got Peyton and carried her into Natalie's bedroom. I heard someone calling the cops from somewhere out in the hall." Haley continued, still holding Brooke's full attention.

"When the cops came, they arrested the guy and took Natalie's statement. They also wanted to take Natalie to the hospital but she said no, she didn't want to leave Peyton; she was horrendously hurt, but she stayed by Peyton's side for that whole night; and for a lot of nights after that… they healed together. That night changed how they felt about each other obviously, and over time, respect turned to like, and like turned to love. They were together only a few months later." Haley finished.

"Natalie's a hero." Brooke said. "I mean, I know she's a _huge_ bitch, but that's a pretty amazing thing to do; so I kind of don't get why you and Nathan still despise her so much?"

Haley sighed again. "That night is the reason why Nathan and I_ tolerate_ Natalie, but we hate her because _one_ amazing thing doesn't make up for the numerous, continuous, shitty things that she does."

"That's true…" Brooke nodded, Haley did make a good point there.

"Peyton won't ever admit it, but I know that being with Natalie doesn't make her happy. What I do know is that she tries to make Natalie happy because she feels like she owes it to her, but it's at the expense of her own happiness… Peyton's just like that, she has this huge heart, you know?" Haley said.

"Peyton also said that Natalie's been through some shitty things herself…?" Brooke pried again.

"Yeah, Peyton told me that once too, but she didn't tell me anything about it, it's not really her place."

"Maybe not." Brooke agreed.

Brooke rested her head on her hand, the cogs turning in her mind; Natalie was bitch, there was no denying it, but she was a brave, heroic, bitch.

But still, Brooke couldn't help but think that although Natalie was a heroic bitch, Peyton was still too damn good for her!

* * *

**Thought's guys…? Confused about Natalie yet…? Wahahaa!**


	6. Chapter 6

**Not much Natalie in this chapter; Sorry Peyton's Comet and xLadyLovelyLiesx … :)  
Although there will be lots of Natalie again soon enough for those of you in the 'Natalie Bennett (little D-bag) Appreciation Society' ;)**

**According to the Chicago Tribune, my accent is apparently the 3****rd**** sexiest in the world...huh. Twitter, you distract me too much!**

**And oh yeah, just a little thing I have to boast about. Guess what I have…? A ticket to One Tree Hill Con in Paris! Hello Hilarie Burton, I'm comin' for ya, babe!**

* * *

"Haley and I are going over to the new office to see meet the contractor who's going to build the studio. You want to come?" Peyton asked Natalie, pulling on her leather jacket, as Natalie lay on their bed in Nathan and Haley's, her laptop in front of her.

"Is you're new BFF Brooke gonna be there?" Natalie asked, her tone flat, with her eyes firmly glued to her laptop.

Peyton's brows furrowed.

"Um, no… pretty sure she'll be at her store." Peyton said, in a tone that was more of a question than an answer.

"I'm just going to stay here; I've got a pile of jobs to apply for so that's probably going to take most of the afternoon." Natalie replied, her eyes never leaving the laptop screen.

"Okay Sweetie, good luck." Peyton smiled. "We're going to decorate the office a little too, so we'll bring dinner home; is there anything you want in particular?"

"Na, anything's fine with me." Natalie said absentmindedly, and Peyton simply nodded.

"See you later then."

"Love you." Natalie said, her tone absentminded again.

Then Peyton walked out of the room, murmuring a simple "love you, too."

. . .

"So we'll build partition walls around this area here." The contractor said, showing Peyton and Haley the plans for the studio that was being built into Peyton's new office. "Then inside is only a matter of building another partition wall and windows to separate the recording area and the performing area."

"Cool; so how long do you think this all going to take?" Peyton asked, looking at the plans in front of her.

"Well after doing a walk round of this place, I noticed that there are already good electrical fittings in place, suggesting that there must have been some sort of sound recording equipment in here before; so it should only take a week, maximum. After the building work is done, all you have to do is move in your recording equipment and you're good to go." The contractor smiled. "And I noticed that there's pretty nice brick work in here; so I could put up some wall boards to keep the décor the same in both areas. It'll cost you extra, but it's pretty nice. I can show you some samples."

"Umm, yeah, why not, man." Peyton smiled, and the contractor went to show her some samples, while Haley went to return a missed call from Nathan.

Ten minutes later, the contractor was gone and Peyton was lifting vinyl's out of a bag to hang up on the wall, when Haley walked back into the office.

"I'm sorry Peyt, I have to run. Nathan left his wallet at home and he and Jamie are at the river court. Apparently it's easier to have Mama bring lunch than to actually go home and get something. Men, I'll tell ya!" Haley explained, picking up her bag and putting it over her shoulder.

"Women ain't a walk in the park either, let me tell ya." Peyton laughed, "But don't worry, I'm about to get creative, so I'm good. Go get your boys."

"Thank-you." Haley smiled, walking out of the office. "See you at home, I'll order something for dinner when you get back."

Peyton just smiled then continued to lift vinyl's out onto her desk.

* * *

"No, you _were_ my mother! I fired you from that job too!" Brooke ranted through the phone, pacing around her living room with her hand tangled in her shoulder length brunette hair.

"No, it's my company, I have majority ownership!" She continued, doing her best to argue her corner.

"Okay, you know what, talk to my Lawyer, I have nothing left to say to you!" She finished, hanging up the phone just as her doorbell rang.

Sighing, she swung the door open, only to see the last person she wanted to see in that moment.

"Well I have plenty to say to you." Victoria Davis, Brooke's bitch of a Mother said, stepping past Brooke into the house.

Brooke's mouth dropped open in shock; how incredulous could one woman really be!

"Funny, I don't recall inviting you in. You botoxed vampire-ess." Brooke said sarcastically, slamming the front door shut and moving to stand in front of Victoria.

"You know Brooke, I really don't understand why you've become such a hurtful, spiteful, little snot to me…" Victoria started.

"Um, maybe because you're trying to steal my company from me!"

"_Our_ company." Victoria corrected. "Or at least it is for now."

"I'm majority owner, so for now, it's _my_ company." Brooke said with fire in her voice. "I'm the designer!"

Victoria laughed. "You stupid, stupid, little girl. You may be able to throw together a pretty decent dress, but you don't know the business side of it, and without that, you're nothing."

Brooke stiffened; she hated when Victoria called her stupid. But she couldn't let Victoria see that she was getting to her.

"You may know the business side, but what are you going to sell, Mother, magic beans? You can't have a magazine called B Davis, without _B Davis."_ Brooke pointed out, pointing to herself.

"Paul Frank doesn't work for Paul Frank!" Victoria retaliated.

Brooke shook her head. "No, you know what; I am this company; without my designs, you have nothing. You know it, I know it, and when the board sees _my unbelievable_ new designs, they'll know it, and you'll be the one who's out on her nip and tucked ass!"

Victoria scoffed.

"Get out of my house." Brooke growled, and Victoria turned on her heels to leave.

"I hope these new designs are by far your best work, or it's bye-bye company, hello Community College… _if you can even get in_." Victoria said, then she left the house, slamming the door behind her.

As the door closed behind Victoria, Brooke let out the tears that she'd been holding in, and picked up a small candle from a side table, throwing it across the room in frustration.

Why did Victoria always make her feel so worthless.

. . .

With her music turned up to the loudest it would go; Peyton shook her ass all over her office to Bon Bon by Pitbull, hanging various album covers and pictures on the walls as she went.

Her music was so loud that she didn't hear the door opening or the brunette figure walk in, until she heard someone clear their throat.

"Funny, you didn't strike me as a Pitbull fan." Brooke laughed when a shocked Peyton shut the music off with a remote control.

Composing herself, Peyton let out a laugh then walked over to Brooke. "I'm not as dark as Nathan and Haley make out, you know!"

"Yeah…" Brooke sighed, her tone making Peyton's brows furrow. "Is Haley here, she said that you guys would be here decorating or something?"

"No…" Peyton said, somewhat apologetic. "She had to run. It's just me, sorry."

Brooke nodded her head, looking down to the floor.

"Brooke, are…are you okay?" Peyton asked. She may not know the girl well, but she could tell that there was something on her mind; that much was a fact!

Brooke sighed. "Yes…"

Peyton looked at her with concerned eyes, and Brooke's resolve broke. She just needed someone to talk to, and those deep green eyes, those beautiful green eyes, were looking at her like they could see into her soul.

"No…I'm not!" She choked out, the tears falling instantly like a dam had broken in her eyes.

"Hey, hey, come on." Peyton said, wrapping her arms around the beautiful, tearful, brunette, and leading her further into her office.

She sat Brooke on her desk, and sat down beside her, rubbing soothing circles on her back.

"What's going on?"

"It's…it's my Mom. She's trying to take my company, and she… She just, she…Ahhh!" Brooke said, frustration evident in her voice.

"Your Mom's trying to take your company? Wow, that's…that's horrible, man!" Peyton said, taking in the severity of the situation.

"I know, and I just, I just…" Brooke continued to cry. She didn't even know why she was talking to a girl she'd barely just met about it, but she just found the blonde so easy to talk to. "I've got this Chinese food and Haley isn't even here!" She finished, dropping the bag of food onto the table next to her.

"Well…you're in luck; because I happen to like Chinese food, and I also happen to be a very good listener." Peyton smiled softly, and Brooke smiled back.

Laughing through her tears, Brooke replied "I hope you like orange chicken."

A little while later, Brooke had the food dished out and they were sitting on the floor of Peyton's office, eating and talking.

"So, if she can convince the board that you're not doing your job, they can fire and you and you'll have nothing?" Peyton asked.

"Pretty much." Brooke sobbed as she ate.

"Brooke, you have to stop crying before you inhale a noodle." Peyton laughed softly, and Brooke smiled.

"It's not that though." Brooke continued. "It's that she called me stupid. And I know that sounds kind of silly, but I hate it when she calls me stupid, you know? I did all of this stuff to make her see that I'm worth it, I built a huge company for God sake, and she still thinks that I'm stupid. Do you know what it's like to do everything for someone, only for them to make you feel like you're stupid, and worthless?" Brooke asked, having gotten her crying slightly under control.

Peyton had a thoughtful look on her face, and she sighed as she answered Brooke's question. "I know that feeling more than you'd expect."

Brooke looked up at her new blonde friend and saw a similar look in her eyes to her own.

"Natalie, huh?"

Peyton simply nodded.

"Thanks for listening to me Peyton, looks like we have more in common than we thought." Brooke said, setting her tub of food down on the ground and moving round to sit closer to Peyton.

"Yeah, I think we really do." Peyton replied, letting her hand fall onto Brooke's thigh without thinking, causing Brooke to take an unintentional sharp intake of breath.

There was something about Peyton that made Brooke feel dizzy; she felt so comfortable around her, like she'd known her for years, but yet she felt dizzy and nervous.

And although she didn't want to admit, it wasn't the first time she'd felt this way around another girl, the only problem was, she'd never felt is as much as she did with Peyton.

And with everything going on with Victoria, it was the last thing she wanted to be thinking about again.

"You know, why don't I help you decorate this place, as thank-you for listening to all of my Mommy shit." Brooke said, standing up quickly and tidying up their food leftovers.

"Umm…" Peyton said, confused about the quickness of Brooke's actions. "Okay, sure."

She was kind of enjoying Brooke's closeness and she didn't want it to end; the brunette smelled like strawberry and vanilla.

And she was well aware that her train of thought was probably just _this side _of wrong.

* * *

**Review Please :)**


	7. Chapter 7

**I apologise for the lack of updates; I'm back at University after summer break, so I've basically been hungover for the best part of a week…ooops!**

* * *

"Oh my God, I've missed my car so much!" Peyton exclaimed happily, running out of the front door as the couriers dropped her and Natalie's cars off outside of Nathan and Haley's house, after getting them shipped from LA.

"Mercury Comet?" One of the couriers asked, throwing the keys to Peyton when she jumped up and down in excitement. "And the Jeep Patriot." He finished, throwing the other set of keys to Natalie.

Peyton signed for the cars, then turned to Natalie with a smile.

"Care to take a drive with me, Miss Bennett?"

Natalie grinned. "I've got a better idea, Bambi. I'll race ya… although, I don't think there will be much of a race."

"Oh sweetheart, my little Comet can totally kick your Patriots ass!" Peyton grinned, jumping into her car.

"Oh yeah?" Natalie laughed, jumping into her car and rolling the window down. "First one to your office wins."

"Deal." Peyton smirked, revving her engine.

"Deal." Natalie replied. "See ya at the finish line, baby."

Then Natalie put her foot down and sped off out of Nathan and Haley's drive way.

* * *

"So, you want me to bring _my_ designs to a board meeting for _my _company, so I can prove that I'm doing_ my_ job. This is fucking insane!" Brooke yelled down the phone, inwardly cursing when a customer looked at her in slight disgust.

She was in her store having an argument over the phone with her lawyer, who'd just informed her that her Mother had told the board about her new designs, and that the board had called a meeting; and Brooke knew that this was simply an excuse for Victoria to undermine her and make her look incompetent.

Victoria was fast becoming a pain in her ass!

"Can't you see what Victoria is trying to do?!" Brooke exclaimed in annoyance.

"Okay, okay, but two weeks?! I have to worry about this for two weeks, can't you move the meeting forward?" Brooke continued.

"Miss Dav...How can Victoria's schedule be completely full, when I fired her?!"

Brooke shook her head as she listened to her lawyer.

"Yes, I know that she can't actually be fired, but I…"

Brooke sighed in annoyance as she walked over to the window and began to fix the clothing on the display mannequins.

"Look, I have customers, can we reconvene tomorrow?"

She ended the conversation with her Lawyer, and slipped her phone into the pocket of her skinny jeans, and she was about to walk away from the window when she heard loud rock music, then saw a black Mercury Comet stop at the lights outside of the store.

Then her heart fluttered when she saw the blonde behind the wheel.

She was taking a scarf off of the mannequin at the window when she saw Peyton turn around, and the blonde smiled brightly as she waved to Brooke from her car.

She didn't know why, but Brooke found herself giggling like an idiot and clutching the scarf close to her heart as she waved back to Peyton, but her smile dropped when she saw a very irate looking Natalie staring at her from her white Jeep Patriot, as she waited behind Peyton in the traffic.

Sending one last timid smile to Peyton, Brooke turned around and walked back to the cash-desk to serve a customer.

* * *

"You know, I'd rather not talk about it tonight, guys, I feel like it's all I talk about." Brooke said, bringing her cup of decaff coffee to her lips and taking a sip.

"I know, sweetie, but I know how crazy Victoria makes you. You know I'm here if you want to talk though, anytime. We all are." Haley smiled.

Peyton and Natalie were sitting at the table with them, but Natalie was even more clingy and quieter than usual, and exceptionally bitchy.

"Speak for yourself." Natalie muttered to Haley, but before anyone could say anything to her, her phone rang and she excused herself from the table.

Ten minutes later, Natalie returned with a smile on her face.

"I have an interview for that Publishing House in Charlotte!"

"Natty, that's great!" Peyton smiled, genuinely pleased for her, and Haley agreed, but Brooke's face remained stoic.

"Good. I hope you fail." Brooke said flatly.

"Excuse me?" Natalie asked, standing next to where Brooke was sitting, shock written all over her face.

Brooke looked up at her, smiled, and shrugged her shoulders. "Don't be a bitch if you can't take a bitch."

Natalie's eyes widened as she turned to Peyton. "Aren't you going to say something to her?"

Peyton shrugged. "Can't you stand up for yourself? Baby, you were being a bitch, you can't get mad at someone for retaliating."

In any other situation, she would have defended Natalie, but the brunette was being a bitch and it was wrong to defend someone's shitty actions, girlfriend or otherwise.

"Did you just call me a bitch?!" Natalie exclaimed.

"Baby, it's not like that, I just meant that you were being a little bit bitchy to Brooke." Peyton tried to explain softly.

"Are you serious?! How fucking predictable, we move here with_ these people _and you revert back to college Peyton; sucking up to everyone except for your _girlfriend_." Natalie ranted angrily, and Haley and Brooke just sat there feeling awkward.

Peyton laughed slightly, she was so used to this from Natalie. "Are ya kidding me? Whether you think I'm sucking up or not, it doesn't change the fact that you were being a bitch; _are_ being a bitch."

Walking over to Peyton angrily, Natalie grabbed her arm in an effort to get her to stand up. "I want to talk privately!"

"Don't grab me Natalie, you know I hate that." Peyton said angrily but quietly, through gritted teeth.

Natalie pulled at her arm roughly again. "I want to talk!"

Peyton jumped up this time, and grabbed Natalie's hand, pulling her out of the room. "You're right, we do need to talk!"

. . .

"Nat, we were having a great day today, then we get home from the drive and you start acting like an ass! What the hell man?!" Peyton said, crossing her arms and leaning against the wall next to the stairs.

Natalie paced up and down the hall.

"I started acting like an ass after the drive? Oh, I wonder why that might be." Natalie scoffed.

Peyton sighed, waiting for Natalie to continue.

"_Oh Brooke Davis I'm so in love with you. Oh I love you too Peyton Sawyer, lets wave at each other in traffic and be so in love_." Natalie said in a mockingly sweet voice, clutching her hand to her heart sarcastically.

"What the fuck, man!" Peyton yelled angrily. She knew that Natalie had some irrational problem with Brooke, but she didn't realise that it was that bad. "You're mad because I waved to Brooke when I saw her in her store. You are so fucking paranoid when you have no reason to be!"

"I don't trust her, Peyton, she's dangerous!" Natalie replied.

"She is not dangerous, she's just a nice girl, who tried to be friendly to you too, even after you bitched her out from the word go!"

Haley and Brooke were still sitting in the kitchen, listening to their argument, and Brooke felt incredibly uncomfortable, and also angry, but she thought it was better to stay out of it.

They noted that Nathan had also muted the television in the living-room.

Natalie shook her head; "The amazing Brooke Davis, let's all bow down…"

"What is your problem?!" Peyton asked.

"Why are you defending her?!" Natalie yelled.

Peyton pushed herself off the wall and stood in front of Natalie, stopping her from pacing.

"No, you know what, Natalie, you're only acting like this because you're threatened by anyone who gets close to me, and it's getting pretty sickening. I don't know why you're threatened, because I put up with all of the _shit_ you deal me, _every single day, _and I'm still here; doesn't that mean anything to you?!" Peyton was fuming now. "You're threatened because you know that you're an ass and deep-down you know that I won't put up with it forever. You dislike Brooke because she's nice to me and she shows me that there are women out there who'd treat me better than you do. But here's the zinger, Natalie; Brooke's straight!"

As Brooke listened to the argument, her heart pounded in her chest; hearing Peyton say that her niceness made her realize that someone else could treat her better than Natalie invoked an emotion in her that was stronger than anything she'd felt before; She could treat Peyton better, and the more she thought about it, the more she wanted to say it out loud.

And seeing Natalie pull Peyton's arm roughly earlier in the argument had made Brooke want to punch the other brunette in the face and be Peyton's saviour; but what the fuck did it mean? She needed to sort her own head out, that's the only thing that Brooke could deduce from it.

Natalie's jaw dropped, she hadn't expected such a reaction from Peyton.

"You think that I don't treat you right?"

Peyton shook her head and started to walk away. "Sort yourself out, Natalie, or I swear to God, I'm gone."

"Peyton!" Natalie pouted, stomping her foot for good measure.

"Go to bed, Natalie, I'm done." Peyton said, walking back into the kitchen, leaving Natalie alone in the hall.

Natalie stomped upstairs, walking straight past Jamie, who was standing on the landing, and the little boy stuck his tongue out rudely, to Natalie's retreating form.

. . .

Peyton walked into the kitchen angrily, grabbing a bottle of wine out of the fridge. "I'll buy you one back tomorrow." She said to Haley flatly, then she walked out of the back door, onto the patio, slamming the door behind her.

Brooke looked at Haley and shrugged. "After the day I've had, wine sounds good."

Then Brooke was following Peyton outside.

* * *

"Aunt Peyton?" Peyton turned around to see a tired looking Jamie standing at the door, Haley standing behind her.

Peyton and Brooke hadn't talked, they'd simply passed the bottle of wine between each other in silence.

"He heard you and Natalie arguing." Haley explained softly.

Peyton threw her head back and sighed. "Jamie, I am so sorry, sweetie."

The little boy walked outside and clambered up onto Peyton's knee. "I'm sorry that Natalie got mad at you again. I just wanted to see if you were okay before I went to sleep."

Peyton smiled. "I'm okay, I have your Aunt Brooke to keep me company, but thank-you for asking, you are very sweet. But I do think you have to go to bed, it's late."

"I know." Jamie sighed, moving off of Peyton's lap and walking back into the house. "I love you, Aunt Peyton…and you too, Aunt Brooke."

"Good save there, little man" Brooke laughed, then Jamie was off to bed, Haley retiring for the night as well.

"So tell me, why do you stay?" Brooke finally asked, cutting the silence, as she brought the bottle of wine to her lips.

Peyton laughed slightly, she was waiting for that one. "It's a long story, man."

"I've got all night." Brooke shrugged, handing the bottle back to Peyton.

"I'm just so done with it all, you know." Peyton said sadly.

Brooke shook her head. "Talk to me."

Taking a long swig of wine, Peyton sighed. "She's had a hard life."

Brooke looked up in interest, but she stayed silent, willing Peyton to continue.

"I stay because I can't walk away from her, I just can't."

"Just because she did something for you, doesn't mean you have an obligation to her." Brooke said, referring to how Peyton and Natalie got together, then she inwardly cursed, remembering that she was supposed to keep her mouth shut.

"Haley told you, huh?" Peyton asked.

"Yeah, but she didn't…"

"It's cool, I trust you. It's not that though, that's just a part of it." Peyton smiled slightly.

"Okay, so….?"

"I feel like I'm betraying Natalie by telling you about her life…"

"Peyton, my Mom only loves me when I'm making money for her, if anyone understands shitty situations, it's me." Brooke shrugged, and Peyton sighed, taking another drink of wine.

"Natalie's Mom left when she was eight."

"Oh… so it's text book abandonment issues then." Brooke said, taking the bottle of wine from Peyton when she handed it to her.

"It's not that simple though. Natalie went to school one morning, her Dad went to work, it was just a normal day…until it wasn't. Her Mom was supposed to pick her up, but she never showed up. She just disappeared without as much as note. Her Dad got the police involved, filed a missing persons report, everything, and as it turned out, she just left, abandoned them without an explanation."

Brooke let out a breath. "That…that's pretty shitty." Brooke had to admit.

Peyton stared out into the garden as she retold Natalie's story.

"Her Dad brought her up, he took on two jobs to make sure that he could afford to keep her in nice clothes, get her a nice car, send her to a good school, her Dad's name is Roy, and he's the sweetest man, and what gets me is how Natalie can be such a _bitch_ when I _know _that her Dad did the best he could for her. I know it sucks to know that your Mom didn't want you; I guess you kind of know that, but it's just…it's baffling." Peyton continued thoughtfully.

Brooke continued to listen in interest; she also liked the fact that Peyton seemed to trust her.

"We saw her once; her Mom. It was just after we moved to LA. We were on Rodeo Drive, you know, just doing some touristy stuff, and Natalie stopped dead in the middle of the street, staring at this woman who was sitting outside of a café. And when I looked, I knew instantly that it was her Mom, this woman was Natalie's living image, she was basically Natalie but twenty years older."

"Really?" Brooked asked, very invested in Peyton's story.

"I know that Natalie wanted to go over and tell her who she was, but she didn't, because a man and little twin girls walked out of the café and one of the kids called Natalie's Mom, Mommy. And even if Natalie didn't hear it, it wouldn't have been hard to tell; because those two little girls where like little mini Natalie's. And I think, in that moment, it all became even worse for her because she just felt completely not good enough; why did her Mom want those kids, but not her, you know?"

"That's horrible!" Brooke said. Yes, Natalie was a bitch, but having to go through that must have been hell on earth.

"It gets worse. Regina, that's Natalie's Mom's name, and also Natalie's middle name, saw Natalie staring, and she stared right back, she knew who Natalie was, I could see it in her eyes, but she just looked away. How could someone do that to their own baby, it's incomprehensible!"

"I know what that's like. Yeah, my Mom was around, but she wasn't interested in me at all. Sometimes I think I would have been better off if she wasn't around. I can see why Natalie's scared to lose you, but it doesn't excuse the bitchiness." Brooke sighed.

"That's the thing though, I know that what happened to her is really shitty, but I hate that she acts the way she does, especially since she's not the only one who's had a hard life!" Peyton said, drinking even more wine.

Brooke looked up, even more intrigued now, but Peyton continued before she could speak.

"I was adopted, but my adoptive Mom died when I was eight, she ran a red light when she was late picking me up from school; she hit another car and she died…"

"Oh my God, Peyton, I am so sorry."

"My Dad worked away on drudging boats for months at a time, and he went back to work pretty fast after my Mom died. I mean, I know he loves me and that he worked hard to provide for me, but I think that it was just too hard for him to stay at home, so I stayed with my grandma when he was gone, until I was fifteen and he decided that I was old enough to stay at home on my own. So Natalie wasn't the only one to grow up without a Mom, hell I pretty much had no parents at all! But Natalie says its different because at least I know that I was truly loved and wanted."

"She said that? Oh my God, what is it, a pity competition?!"

"That's the thing though, I was put up for adoption, that's pretty much the epitome of unwanted!"

Peyton took a moment to breath, she could feel herself getting worked up.

"My birth mom got in contact with me when I was sixteen, but she died of breast cancer shortly after my seventeenth birthday. I know it's a different situation, but Natalie lost one Mom, _I lost two_. And I know my Dad was gone a lot, but he did that for me because he was good at his job and I therefore wanted for_ nothing. _But then again, neither did Natalie."

Brooke thought about what Peyton was saying and she was starting to realize why Natalie was such a bitch.

"I know it's not a pity party, and I don't want pity, but Natalie's not the only one who's had a shitty life. She grew up without a Mom, so did I. She had a Dad who loved her and gave her everything, so did I. I feel like my life has been harder hers, if I'm being truly honest, so why has she turned into such a bitch and I haven't?"

"I have a suggestion for that one." Brooke said, and Peyton looked at her.

"When I try to talk to her when I'm sad about my Mom's or something, she just turns it around so it's all about her; if I have a problem, she has the same one doubled. And she's scared that I'll leave her; don't be a bitch and I won't! It's not fair, I'm so done with it, Brooke!"

Brooke got up and moved her chair closer to Peyton's before sitting down again. "You want to know why Natalie's such a bitch? It has nothing to do with abandonment issues, Peyton. It's pretty simple really; Natalie's a selfish bitch because she inherited her Mom's shitty personality. And the worst part about that is; she'll never ever change because you can't change your personality."

And Brooke wasn't saying that to sabotage Natalie in any way, it was simply the truth, and Peyton needed to hear it.

"I'd be lying if I said that hadn't crossed my mind."

Brooke smiled softly, then gently reached over to hold Peyton's hand in a purely friendly gesture. "The things that happened to Natalie aren't your fault, you don't have to stay, you know that right?"

"I know, but the first time that I met her Dad, he told me that he'd never seen her so happy. He said that he knew that she could be difficult, but he asked me not to give up on her, and I can't; he's the sweetest little man, Brooke."

"That's not fair to you, Peyton. He can't ask that of you. But if your reason for staying is because her Dad wants you to, then I have to ask... Do you love her?"

Peyton sighed the remained silent for a few seconds, before whispering her answer so quietly that it was barely audible.

"No."

Brooke sent her a gentle smile, trying to hide the fact that Peyton's answer had her heart pounding in her chest.

Peyton handed Brooke the bottle of wine with a small smile; "Thanks for listening to me Brooke, it's nice to have someone who takes the time to hear what_ I_ have to say, for a change."

Brooke smiled as she lifted the bottle to her lips. "Anytime Peyton, I mean that... So, tell me, can you remember the first time that you met Natalie?"

Peyton laughed. "Oh yeah, she was in the dorm across the hall from mine, we were moving in at the same time, and I caught her looking down my shirt when I bent down to lift a box. I believe my exact first words to her were 'if you like staring a boobs, I can refer you to a couple of websites'...that started a year long lesbian bitch fest."

Brooke laughed out loud.

"Oh my god, that's priceless."

* * *

**Reviews = :D**


	8. Chapter 8

**It occurred to me this morning that in exactly 4 weeks I will be one of the lucky few who has met Hilarie Burton… Let the countdown to Palarie begin!**

_***Flashback's in Italics***_

* * *

"Okay, yeah, no, over a little… how can you not see the white patch!" Peyton said, standing on the ground with her arms folded, as Brooke stood on the ladder painting the top of the wall.

Although Peyton and Natalie's house was in walk-in condition, they wanted to redecorate it and make it their own.

Their new furniture had been delivered and their new flooring had been laid, although it was all covered in plastic to protect it from paint, the paint work was pretty much finished, and they were due to move in tomorrow; but Natalie was at her interview so Peyton had enlisted Brooke's help with the final touches.

"Peyton, I'm being a good friend and helping you out. Don't judge my painting skills!" Brooke huffed.

"What painting skills?" Peyton murmured sarcastically, before Brooke began to clamber down the ladders.

"That's it, you were told to leave me be," Brooke rambled, setting her feet on the ground. "I can see a white patch, and it's right on your face!" She finished, smearing a line of grey paint over Peyton's nose with her paintbrush.

"Brooke! What the hell!"

"That's the price of being a pain in the ass." Brooke shrugged.

Peyton laughed sarcastically. "Pain in the ass, really…" She turned around and picked up her own paintbrush before turning back to Brooke. "Guess I should even the score then."

"No…Peyton, no." Brooke stammered, but before she could run, Peyton grabbed her and painted a grey line right down the left hand side of her face.

"You bitch!" Brooke exclaimed, reaching out to smear some more paint over Peyton's face.

"Paybacks the bitch, Brooke, not me." Peyton laughed, effortlessly dodging Brooke's attempts, while continuing to put paint over her.

"Okay, no! Stop, stop, stop!" Brooke said, folding her arms when Peyton let her go. "I'm not playing anymore, you're mean."

Peyton shrugged and turned away from Brooke, while the brunette ascended up the ladder again, but as the blonde bent down to put more paint on her brush, she felt a huge drop of paint splat onto the top of her head.

She looked up with a scowl on her face to see Brooke looking down at her with her paint saturated paintbrush dangling in her hand.

Another small drop of paint hit Peyton's head and her scowl deepened.

"Sorry." Brooke shrugged through a laugh, but her laughter died when Peyton went to scramble up the ladder after her.

"You are so dead, Brooke Davis!"

Brooke screamed in surprise when Peyton lifted her down and began to paint her face once again.

Once satisfied that Brooke was thoroughly painted, Peyton set her down on the ground again.

"Are we done?" She asked, deadpan, looking at a smirking Brooke.

"Yes, yes, we're done." Brooke replied in a quiet voice, and Peyton nodded her head.

"Good."

"Although…" Brooke smirked, but before Peyton could ask her to elaborate, Brooke lunged forward and tackled Peyton to the ground.

"Brooke, game over!" Peyton yelled as Brooke sat on top of her, attacking her with a paintbrush again.

Brooke simply smirked.

"Fine. You want a paint war, you got a paint war!" Peyton declared with determination, flipping them over.

They continued this pattern for a good five minutes until their brushes where almost clean, and Brooke flipped them over one last time so she was on top of Peyton again.

Their hips where matched perfectly and Brooke pinned Peyton's hands above her head.

They were both very aware of their intimate position.

"Give up, Sawyer?"

"I never give up."

"Really…" Brooke smirked, putting the handle of her brush into her mouth and leaning forward so the paint would go onto Peyton's chin.

All Peyton could do was nod her head.

Then Brooke leaned even closer and let the paintbrush drop from her mouth, eliminating the barrier between them, leaving them just a breath apart.

Then they heard a key in the front door.

Brooke jumped up and they both got to their feet before Natalie walked into the room.

Natalie eyed their appearance then inspected the paintwork.

"Did you two do anything today other than paint each other?" She said, an air of disgust and slight jealousy evident in her voice.

"Natalie…" Peyton said in a warning tone, folding her arms.

"Sorry." Natalie mumbled. "Hi, Brooke."

"_Fuck women, fuck bitches, fuck everyone!" Peyton said from her seat on the sundeck of Brooke's house._

"_Fuck the world, because we're better off alone!" Brooke agreed, clinking her wine glass against Peyton's, one half-full bottle, and one empty bottle, on the table between them._

_It was six o'clock in the morning and Peyton and Brooke had gone to Brooke's house after Peyton and Natalie's argument; they'd gotten drunk and Haley told to them to either go to bed or leave because they were being too loud._

"_Well Brooke, if you want to be alone just sign the company over to me and I'll be out of your life forever." They heard from behind them._

_Turning around in shock, Brooke's eyes met Victoria's._

"_Victoria, what the hell are you doing here? It's 6am!" Brooke exclaimed._

"_Why the hell are you drunk? It's 6am." Victoria pointed out sarcastically, eyeing Peyton up and down. "No doubt this…person's influence._

_Peyton cleared her thought with a slight laugh, and Brooke looked at her with an apologetic look before standing up to talk to Victoria._

"_Peyton, this is Victoria Davis, the woman formally known as my mother. Victoria, this is Peyton Sawyer, someone who is actually welcome in my house; drunk or otherwise." Brooke said in a mockingly sweet voice._

_Peyton sent Victoria a deliberately sarcastic wink, and Victoria shook her head and turned away._

"_Why are you here, Victoria?! Brooke exclaimed, already exasperated._

"_I'm here to see your new designs before the meeting in two weeks, I still have equal rights to those sketches." Victoria explained._

"_How many times do you need to be told, I am not showing you those designs...They're not even here anyway, so please leave." Brooke said, managing to keep her voice calm._

"_Whatever, I will get those designs." Victoria said, turning on her heels. "And by the way, you might want to behave, there's paparazzi outside, I don't imagine that a white Jeep Patriot is sitting outside of your house for no reason."_

_Then Victoria left before Peyton could mention that the car outside wasn't the paparazzi._

"_I guess my rides here." Peyton laughed, stumbling slightly as she stood up_

"_Is she going to be mad at you?" Brooke asked tentatively, screwing her face up slightly._

_Peyton laughed. "I can say with absolute certainty that yes, she is going to be mad at me."_

"_What are you going to do?" Brooke asked, linking her arm into Peyton's so they could help each other downstairs safely._

"_I told her last night, she's got to get it together or I'm gone like a chocolate cake at a fat chick convention." Peyton said seriously, but she inadvertently made Brooke laugh._

"_Nice comparison there, Sawyer."_

_Brooke and Peyton said their goodbyes then Peyton stumbled out of the house and into Natalie's car._

"_Good night?" Natalie said shortly._

"_Fan-fucking-tastic." Peyton said sarcastically, waving her hand about for emphasis._

"_Yeah, that's what I thought when you chose to go home with Brooke instead of to bed with your girlfriend." _

_Peyton rested her elbow on the window ledge and put her head on her hand. "Natalie, just shut-up man." She murmured._

"_I've to shut-up?" Natalie asked, starting the car and pulling out of Brooke's street._

"_Yes, because you don't even know anything." Peyton said, her voice slurring, making it obvious that she was pretty drunk._

"_How wasted are you?!" Natalie exclaimed._

"_Pretty damn gone, man." Peyton laughed, deliberately trying to irritate Natalie even more._

"_It's only a little after 6am! Jesus Peyton!" _

"_I'm sure it's noon somewhere." Peyton mumbled._

"_Yeah, well it's not noon here!" _

"_You know what Natalie, shut up, because you don't get to say how I behave. I don't do this often, I'm allowed to have fun at least once in my fucking life." Peyton rambled. "So I got drunk with Brooke because you were being an ass, big deal, just shh because you're giving me a wine headache."_

"_You gave yourself a wine headache…" Natalie pointed out._

"_And while I'm talking about Brooke; you better learn to be nice to her, in-fact not even nice, I'll settle for tolerant like you are with Nathan and Haley, because like it or not, she's my friend now, and I'm not changing that because you dislike her for some made up reason."_

"_She's…" _

"_She's not dangerous!" _

_Natalie sighed._

"_Fine…" She replied quietly._

"_Fine?" Peyton asked._

"_Fine, I'll try with Brooke." Natalie relented._

"_Good. You know, it wouldn't hurt for you to be her friend too, you need a friend around here."_

"_Don't push your luck, Peyton." Natalie said quickly and shortly, effectively ending Peyton's train of thought._

_Peyton held her hand's up in surrender. "Wow, okay!"_

_They were silent until they reached a set of traffic lights, and Natalie reached behind them and lifted up a paper fast-food bag and an orange flavoured juice box._

"_Haley mentioned that you and Brooke where drunk when you left, so I picked you up a breakfast bagel and some orange juice." Natalie said softly, handing the bag to Peyton. "I thought you might need it."_

_Peyton took the bag and juice box, then looked inside the bag before turning to Natalie and giving her a small smile. "Thank-you."_

_That was three days ago._

"Natalie." Brooke smiled, nodding her head towards the other brunette.

"So how was the interview?" Peyton asked enthusiastically, walking over to Natalie and pulling her into a hug.

Brooke grimaced when Natalie placed a small but rather passionate kiss to Peyton's lips. She was well aware the other Brunette was deliberately trying to mark her territory.

"Well…it was great!" Natalie exclaimed happily. "I got it!"

"Natty, I'm so proud of you!" Peyton smiled, but Brooke cut in.

"Charlotte's four hours away; that's going to be a long ass commute."

"No no, Charlotte's their main office, I'll be working out of a regional office in Murrayville, like a half hour drive from here." Natalie explained.

"Oh, nice, congratulations." Brooke said, feeling slightly awkward for a reason she couldn't quite place.

Well she could, she'd just had pseudo foreplay with Peyton only minutes earlier, but she wasn't sure if Peyton had saw it as merely playfulness and if the intimateness of the situation had all been in her head.

"So tell me all about it." Peyton said.

"Well I don't start for another two weeks, but when I start I'll go to the Charlotte office for training for a week. Then after that, I'm a Junior Editor." Natalie beamed. "But we can talk about it later. Why don't you show me what you've done with the house."

Peyton looked at Brooke and sent her a soft smile, then Brooke cleared her throat awkwardly.

"I should go, and let you guys celebrate or something." She said, collecting her purse and jacket from the closet in the hall.

"Really? Stay and have dinner; it'll just be pizza and beers, but still. You were a great help today, I owe you." Peyton smiled, and she would have stayed if she hadn't noticed the slight scowl that appeared on Natalie's face.

"No, I think I'll head home, I have to get this paint off of my face." Brooke laughed. "Text me tomorrow if you need help with the move. If not, I'll call you and we can have lunch later in the week."

They said their goodbyes then Brooke was gone.

. . .

Brooke had gone to her store to work after getting showered and changed, but she couldn't concentrate long enough to do anything productive.

Her mind was swimming with thoughts.

Mostly, it was swimming with thoughts of losing her company, of her 'mother', of the new designs… were they going to be good enough?

But she also couldn't shake thoughts of Peyton and Natalie. She hated that they were moving into a house together, she hated their little happy family, even though she knew deep down that it was all a big lie, Peyton had said so herself in a roundabout way, and she just generally hated Natalie.

She was, however, very aware that her hatred was pure jealously.

Lightly shadowing some colour onto one of her sketches, she threw the pencil onto her desk and sighed.

It just wasn't happening for her tonight.

Deciding that home was her best option, she put her new designs back into her desk drawer, then put her purse over her shoulder, and her jacket over her arm.

She switched the lights off and looked around.

"I have everything that I ever I wanted, Victoria can't take it away. And I don't need anything more than I already have, even if Natalie Bennett believes otherwise." She said to herself with determination.

But as she went to leave, a masked, burly, figure bounded though the door, tackling Brooke to the ground.

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**Reviews are much appreciated.**


	9. Chapter 9

**So I have no idea what happened when I posted chapter 8, but some people said that they couldn't see it when they opened it up; hopefully chapter 9 will post as normal :)**

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"Here's the drill; Natalie and Peyton will take the small stuff and go on ahead to the house, Nathan and I will take the bigger stuff and follow on behind." Haley said, pacing up and down the kitchen.

It was 7am on moving day, and Haley had taken over operation move like it was an army operation.

"Haley, all we have is a few suitcases and the albums I had shipped over, we'll be done within a few hours." Peyton laughed.

"But there's the unpacking at the other end. Moving should take until 0830 hours, break until 0900 hours, then its operation unpack." Haley said, clapping her hands together then taking a bite of her croissant.

"Mama, do I really gotta help?" Jamie huffed, taking a mouthful of cereal. "Its summer vacation, I should be playing in the pool."

"Yes, you do, it's nice to help!" Haley said, and Nathan turned to Jamie and stuck his tongue out at him, making sure that Haley couldn't see him.

"I'm sure with the five of us, it shouldn't take too long anyway." Peyton smiled to Jamie, ruffling his sandy blonde hair, just as her phone began to ring on the table in front of her.

Picking it up, she saw Brooke's name flash across the screen, and she furrowed her brows, wondering why Brooke would be calling so early in the morning.

Wanting to avoid any conflict with Natalie on the day they were moving into their house, she took the phone call out in the hall.

"Brooke, hey, what are you doing up so early?" Peyton said cheerfully, but her stomach dropped when she heard Brooke's sombre tone on the other side of the phone.

"_Does Haley or Natalie know that I called you?" _

"Um, no, what's going on…?" Peyton asked quietly, sensing that she shouldn't draw any attention to herself.

"_Don't tell them. I know you're moving today, and I didn't want to call you, but…can you please come to my store?"_

"Brooke, seriously, what's going on?" Peyton whispered, with genuine concern in her voice.

"_Peyton please, I need you to come to my store, it won't take long." Brooke pleaded._

Briefly taking the phone away from her ear, Peyton checked the time; it was only a little after 7am, she was sure she could spare an hour or two.

"Sure, no problem, Brooke, shall I come now?"

"_Yes, but please don't tell anyone where you're going or that I called you…"_

"Brooke seriously, are you okay? You're scaring me."

"_Peyton please…"_

Finishing her call with Brooke, Peyton hung up, then walked back into the kitchen with her brows furrowed.

"Everything okay?" Haley smiled, and Natalie looked up, lifting a cup of coffee to her mouth.

Peyton hesitated slightly.

"Yeah, um… I just got a call from my office in LA, apparently they got a call from a record label in Japan about sending an artist over here to record, they wanted to video conference with me, so I have to head into the office and get it all sorted." Peyton said, and she had to give herself some kudos for her quick thinking.

"Really, didn't you know about it?" Haley furrowed her brows.

"No, that's the thing; I think it could be a mistake and the people in Japan are looking for a different company, so I have to get it sorted and I can't do it from home. I should only be gone for a couple of hours at most; will you guys be okay without me?" Peyton asked, and Natalie sighed in annoyance, setting her cup down on the table.

"I think we'll manage, right Bennett?" Nathan said, patting Natalie on the shoulder, and Natalie sent him a death glare.

"We'll just have to; and like I tell you every single day, it's Natalie!" Natalie huffed, and Jamie giggled into his glass of orange juice. "Wait, isn't it, like, 8pm in Japan?" Natalie asked, and Peyton rolled her eyes.

"Yes, why do you think I need to go right now?" Peyton retaliated and Natalie simply nodded.

Then Peyton took a quick drink of her coffee, grabbed her things, and was out the door and on her way to Clothes over Bro's.

. . .

Walking up the steps to Clothes over Bro's, Peyton saw Brooke waiting to let her in, and her brows furrowed at the sight of the brunette.

She was dressed in sweats, her hair was pulled back, and the bags under her eyes where very visible. She was still very beautiful, there was no doubt about that, but she looked so deflated and beaten down and just so un-Brooke-like, that Peyton knew that there was something very wrong.

"Thank-you for coming." Brooke said quietly, stepping aside to let Peyton in, and Peyton gasped at the sight in front of her.

The store was in complete devastation; clothes and mannequins strewn across the floor, an upturned couch, and papers scattered all over the place. If it hadn't been for Brooke's visibly shaken appearance, Peyton would have assumed that the brunette had gone all rock-star.

"Brooke…" Was all Peyton could say as she looked around.

"I was robbed." Brooke whispered as she walked further into the store.

"Are you okay? Were you here? Did the thief hurt you?" Peyton asked in a panic, rushing over to Brooke and holding her at arms-length to check her over; she was glad when she found no cuts or bruises on the brunette's arms or face.

"No, no, I wasn't here, I found the store like this when I arrived this morning." Brooke said, but Peyton narrowed her eyes, knowing that there was more to the story than Brooke was telling her.

Brooke looked visibly drained; she definitely hadn't slept the previous night. If she'd found the store in its current state that morning like she'd claimed then she wouldn't be dressed in sweats, no make-up, ponytail etc; she'd be done up in her usual Brooke Davis style. And most importantly; why the hell was she in the store so early in the morning if she didn't know that she'd been robbed?

Unless someone had called the police at the time, and the police had contacted Brooke…

"Have you called the police?" Peyton asked, walking around the store to inspect the damage.

"No, I can't. Victoria's already trying to take the company, this would just play straight into her hands; if the police are called then the media will get wind of it and I'll just look like a silly little girl who can't look after _one_ little store, then there's insurance claims that will make me look like a liability. No, no police Peyton." Brooke said, and Peyton simply nodded.

That was another hole in Brooke's 'I wasn't here' story.

What wasn't she telling her?

"Okay, if you don't want the police involved, what do you want?" Peyton asked, leaning against the cash desk.

"I want you to help me clean this up and then never mention it again." Brooke said flatly, picking a mannequin up and putting it back into its original position.

In all honesty, what she wanted was for someone to know what had happened in case something else happened and she wasn't so lucky next time, but she didn't want to appear vulnerable.

And Peyton was the only person she wanted to call for help… She didn't know why, but the blonde seemed to give her a feeling of comfort and safety.

The only problem was, Peyton could see right through her act and she now looked more vulnerable than ever.

"Brooke, come on…"

"Peyton, please."

Peyton sighed, then began to do exactly as Brooke asked.

She had many questions, and she wanted to pick at Brooke's claims until she got the truth out of her, but she could tell that the brunette was in no fit state to be interrogated.

"What did they take?" Peyton asked, breaking the silence.

"He." Brooke whispered quietly, thinking that Peyton wouldn't hear her, but she did.

'So much for not being here when it happened', Peyton thought to herself as she put clothes back onto their hangers.

"The only thing that's gone are my new designs." Brooke said quietly, and Peyton dropped the clothes in her hand, her jaw dropping as realization hit her.

"You don't think that…?"

"That's exactly what I think; Victoria's behind this, and I know it."

Peyton continued to clean up in silence, pondering the implications of that had happened to her new friend.

Surely Victoria couldn't have done this.

She surely couldn't be that inhumane.

She also realized why Brooke had called her for help; because the two of them combined were the Monarchy of the shitty situation.

If anyone could understand how Brooke felt, it was her... even if it was just a little.

When the store was back to respectable condition, Peyton checked the time; it was just after nine.

"Do you want me to stay with you today?" Peyton asked with concern.

"You can go now." Brooke said, her tone coming across colder than intended, as she filed some papers away in a desk drawer.

Peyton just nodded and headed for the door, before Brooke's voice stopped her.

"Peyton, please don't tell anyone about this. Please."

Peyton bit her lip and nodded her head in agreement.

"Thank-you." Brooke smiled softly, but Peyton could see the sadness and worry in her eyes.

"Brooke, if you need _anything_, or even just want to talk; call me, _anytime_, day or night. I mean it."

Brooke nodded, realizing then that Peyton could see right through the walls she'd built up around herself; that Peyton could see the vulnerabilities that she'd tried so hard to hide.

But that didn't mean that she was going to acknowledge it.

"Thank-you, Peyton."

Peyton nodded one more time, then she left Brooke alone; but not without a heavy heart, as thoughts of the brunette filled her mind on the drive back to her house, and for the rest of the day onward.

Brooke wasn't okay, that much was a fact!

. . .

It was two thirty in the morning when Peyton heard her phone vibrating on the nightstand, the bluish light illuminating the dark bedroom.

Reaching her hand out from the bed, she reached over and checked the caller ID;

'Brooke Davis'.

She looked over to Natalie, who was out cold in a deep sleep.

Sliding out of bed, she pulled her robe over her naked body and walked out into the hall.

"Brooke, are you okay?"

"_I'm sorry, I know it's your first night in your new place…" _Brooke's voice was hoarse and thick with unshed tears.

"It's okay, Natalie's asleep. Are you okay?"

Brooke sighed then Peyton heard the soft sobs on the other end of the phone.

"_Peyton… I'm scared." _

Peyton didn't even need to hesitate as she began to walk back to her bedroom, grabbing her leather jacket from the hall closet on the way. "I'll be right there."

. . .

Brooke watched out of the window as Peyton's car screeched to a halt outside of her house, then she opened the door as the blonde ran up the path, into the house.

Brooke flung her arms around Peyton's neck as the blonde entered the house, and she clung to her for dear life.

"It's okay, I'm here, you're okay B Davis." Peyton soothed, and a warm feeling came over Brooke at hearing Peyton call her B Davis, despite the situation she was in.

And if the situation hadn't been so shitty she would have also laughed at Peyton's thrown together appearance. She was wearing black yoga pants, a white tank-top, a black leather jacket, and tan Ugg boots. Her hair was pulled up into a messy bun, and she was sans make-up given that it was almost 3am.

Brooke realized that her appearance was also shitty too; she was still haggard looking from earlier, only now she was wearing pink pyjama pants and a Tree Hill Raven's hoodie.

Peyton moved closer into Brooke's embrace, but the brunette flinched when Peyton put her arms around her waist, causing the blonde to move away slightly and look at Brooke in question.

"What didn't you tell me earlier?" Peyton questioned, and Brooke sighed.

"I was there…"

Peyton closed her eyes and placed her hands on her head, before looking at Brooke again.

"Sit down, tell me everything…"

They sat down on the couch and Brooke told Peyton how the thief had tackled her to the ground, but in some sort of adrenaline fuelled blur, she'd managed to escape and run away; she ran and didn't look back until she found herself at her front door, thankful that she'd adopted the old 'spare key under the plant-pot' trick.

"In the moment, I just knew that I had to keep myself safe, but I expected him to take money, not my new designs. I know that Victoria did this, I know it!" Brooke finished her story.

"Brooke, you did the right thing. You can make new designs, they're meaningless if it meant sacrificing your own safety." Peyton said, taking Brooke's hand to emphasize her point. "Did he hurt you at all?..."

Brooke sighed then stood up, turning to the side and lifting her shirt up slightly.

Peyton gasped when she saw the purple, black, and blue, bruises that adorned the side of Brooke's body.

"Jesus, Brooke!"

Brooke sat back down again and looked Peyton in the eyes. "That's why I'm afraid; those bruises are nothing compared to what he could have done, and if Victoria is behind this, who knows what other lengths she will go to to get the company. I used to think that she was harmless, but now I have no idea what she's capable of. I'm scared, Peyton." Brooke said quietly, and Peyton could hear how afraid she was just from the tone of her voice.

So she pulled Brooke into another hug, and the brunette began to sob into her shoulder again.

And in that moment, something inside of Peyton clicked; she suddenly had this unrelenting need to protect the brunette in her arms, even if it meant going to extreme lengths.

And she didn't know exactly why Brooke had chosen to call her, well, she had a little bit of an idea, but what she did know was that whatever was going on with Brooke, she was now well and truly involved… and she was okay with that.

Moving Brooke's head from her shoulder, Peyton held her chin and looked into her eyes. "It's going to be okay, I'm going to keep you safe; but I need you to go put some clothes on and text Millicent to open up the store for you tomorrow."

"Why…?" Brooke furrowed her brows as a confused look spread across her tear stained face.

"Just do it..."

Half an hour later, Brooke and Peyton were Peyton's Comet, passing by the sign that said 'You are now leaving Tree Hill.'

"Peyton, where are we going?" Brooke asked, resting her tired head against the headrest in the passenger side of the car.

"Hilton Head…"

Brooke sat up and rested her head against Peyton's shoulder, and Peyton put an arm around her waist gently, holding her close, as they drove along the open road.

. . .

It was a little before 7am when they drew to a halt outside of a small bungalow style house that sat along the beach front.

Brooke had fallen asleep on the journey, which Peyton was glad about; the brunette needed it, and Peyton had filled up on coffee to keep herself awake.

She shook Brooke awake, and the brunette stirred in her seat.

"Brooke, we're here…"

"What time is it?" Brooke asked sleepily.

"Just before seven." Peyton smiled softly.

"Won't Natalie be angry that you're gone?" Brooke asked, worriedly.

"No, she'll be out like a light until at least nine, and she'll just assume that I've gone to the office early. Don't worry about that…" Peyton smiled, trying to ease Brooke's worries. In truth, she had no idea what Natalie would think, or if she would notice, or anything really; in that moment, she simply didn't care.

Brooke nodded, then turned towards the house that they were parked in front of.

"Come on." Peyton smiled softly, patting Brooke's thigh gently, before opening the car door and climbing out, Brooke following after her.

They got to the house, and Peyton tried the door to find it that was locked, so she knocked a couple of times and waited for an answer.

Brooke shifted uncomfortably as an older man opened the door and rubbed her eyes in disbelief before smiling widely.

"Peyton…" He smiled, pulling her into a tight hug.

"Hi Daddy." Peyton said quietly, hugging him back.

"I thought you weren't coming until the next time I'm home?" Larry asked, but Brooke could hear the happiness in his voice at Peyton being on his doorstep.

"I know, and I'm sorry to wake you up so early…" Peyton said quietly, pulling away from the hug and looking down.

"Sweetheart, are you okay?" Larry said, looking at Peyton with concern. "What the hell has Natalie done now?!"

Brooke had to giggle, even Peyton's Dad knew that Natalie was an asshole.

"It's not Natalie, Daddy." Peyton laughed slightly.

Larry nodded his head, then stepped aside to free the entrance to the house. "Why are you two still standing out here, come in, come in." He smiled.

He introduced himself to Brooke as she entered the house, and Brooke did the same.

Peyton and Larry caught up quickly while he made everyone coffee then he sat down on the couch across from Brooke and Peyton.

"Why are you here, because I know that it's not a social visit?" He smiled softly, but his eyes were full of concern.

Peyton sighed, and Brooke took her hand in moral support, which didn't go unnoticed by Larry.

Peyton was here for her after all.

"Daddy… do you still have your gun?"

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**Review and stuff, you know :)**


	10. Chapter 10

**11 Days, 11 days, 11 days, ahhh! :D :D :D**

_***Flashbacks in Italics.***_

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**10 days later…**

"Miss Davis, whenever you're ready." A female board member nodded, and Brooke smiled a nervous smile.

She turned towards her display bored with shaking hands, and unconsciously let out a choice curse word as she reached for the bored and accidently let it tumble to the ground.

She scrambled to set the display bored up again, flustered, then turned toward the conference table in the middle of the room again, to see Victoria smirking back at her.

"I'm sorry, I just, I…" Brooke stuttered, wringing her hands in nervousness; she really didn't feel confident in herself at all.

_Every light in the house was on, it'd only been two days since her attack and Brooke didn't feel safe, even in her own house. She'd left every light on through the night, making sure that she could see into every crevice and corner; she didn't know who could be lurking in the shadows._

_She did realize that leaving every light on signalled to the world that she was, in fact, home, but there was something about the light that made her feel that little bit safer._

_Pulling her robe further around herself, she lay down on the couch in the living room with a sigh._

_She couldn't let this become a habit; being too afraid to sleep in her own bedroom. She knew that it was silly, but being in her bedroom made her feel closed off and vulnerable. On the night of the attack she'd gotten some sleep on the drive to Hilton Head, but last night, and tonight, sleep seemed to evade her._

_Even with a gun tucked carefully under her mattress._

"Miss Davis, would you like a few moments?"

Brooke hesitated as she turned toward her bored again.

She wasn't ready for this; how could she be! One week worth of prep for her entire new line was simply not enough, especially when she'd spent months working on the designs that had been stolen.

She knew that Victoria was behind it, and she wished that she could nail her ass to the wall; but sadly, she didn't have the evidence to do so.

'Brooke, are you ready?"

"_Brooke? Brooke where are you?" Peyton called, walking into Brooke's house, closing the front door with a bang. "Brooke?"_

_When she received no reply, she searched the bottom floor of the house, finding it empty._

_She furrowed her brows in confusion, before she heard some movement upstairs._

"_What'cha doin', foxy?" Peyton asked, walking into Brooke's office with a soft smile on her face._

_Brooke was sitting at her desk, papers spread all over the place; they were old designs from years earlier._

_Brooke looked up, but her face remained stoic and distant._

"_Did you sleep much last night?"_

_Brooke turned towards her desk again as she began to speak._

"_Five years' worth of work, five years', and it's all being ripped from beneath me. She's going to take it all and I'm going to be left with nothing. Designing is all that I know and I'm going to lose it." _

_Peyton rushed over to Brooke and knelt down in front of her, turning her head so she could look her in the eye._

"_Brooke Davis, you listen to me right now. You are a talented, amazing, designer, and if you give up now you are letting her win. You are better than that…"_

"_I'm not better, I'm useless, she said so…." Brooke said, beginning to cry._

"_No!" Peyton continued, "You are not going to lay down and let this go. You are going to fight her because you are stronger than her…"_

"_She had me attacked!" Brooke exclaimed._

"_Exactly… and you're going to prove to her that she can't beat you down." Peyton said with conviction. "Stand up." She finished, pulling Brooke from her chair then locating the drawer with fresh paper and pencils in it._

"_What are you doing…?" Brooke asked pensively._

_Peyton used her hand to sweep the papers from the desk and Brooke giggled slightly at the action._

_It was the first time that she'd smiled in days, and she liked it._

"_What's so funny?" Peyton laughed._

"_With that kind of behaviour, you're gonna have me thinking that you want to sweep me off my feet and do me on my desk." Brooke joked, and Peyton put her hand on her heart in a joking manner._

"_Brooke Davis, I am not that kind of girl!" She replied, playing along with Brooke's joke. But in reality, Brooke wasn't really joking at all. "_

_Brooke smiled and bashfully tilted her head, melting Peyton's heart slightly. "There's the Brooke Davis I know."_

_After that, Brooke seemed to crash back to reality, and she lowered her head as her smile dropped._

"_Anyway, as I was going to say…" Peyton started, slamming the papers and pencils down onto the desk. "You are not going to give up, you are going to sit down and you are going to draw some new designs for this meeting."_

"_Peyton, those designs took me months to produce, I can't just pull more out of thin air…" Brooke sighed._

"_I didn't tell you to pull them out of thin air, I told you to draw them. Brooke, when I moved here, I had the plans for the studio drawn up within a week, and the studio built in two, and that was with minimal effort. With a lot of effort, you can do this, I know it." Peyton smiled._

"_It would take constant working around the clock…" Brooke pointed out._

"_Then I'll be there to keep you motivated…" Peyton was making it sound so easy._

"_Yeah, because I'm sure that Natalie would totally love that; isn't she already mad at you?" Brooke said, a shadow of her bubbly personality shining through; Peyton seemed to have that effect on her, she was making the dark days ever so slightly better._

"_No.…" Peyton said, and Brooke quirked an eyebrow at her._

_When Peyton and Brooke had gone to Hilton Head, Natalie had woken up early to find an empty bed. She'd waited for Peyton to return and when the blonde paraded through the door after noon, still dressed in yoga pants and Ugg boots, Natalie lost the rag._

_Peyton thought on her feet and told Natalie that she'd gone to visit her Dad, even producing a receipt from a gas station in Hilton Head to prove it, which sort of dissipated Natalie's anger slightly. She told Natalie that she'd made the trip because she couldn't sleep for thinking about the big step that they'd made buying a house together, and she wanted to talk to her Dad about it face to face._

_After a quick argument and Peyton easing Natalie's fears that she regretted their choice, Natalie bought her story and was now only very slightly mad at her; she didn't like the fact that Peyton had taken off without telling her._

_Of course, Peyton had omitted the fact that Brooke had made the trip with her; yes, Natalie was trying to be nice to Brooke, but this would have pushed her over the edge._

"_Okay, maybe a little. But I'll just tell her that I'm working late, I do have a lot of demos to get through." Peyton smiled._

"_And she'll buy that?" Brooke asked sceptically._

"_She has no reason not to." Peyton shrugged._

"_That's like cheating on her without the fun parts…" Brooke joked again, and Peyton stuck her tongue out at her._

"_Listening to demos without Natalie around is fun…" Peyton said deadpan, and Brooke simply smiled._

"_So, you really believe that I can do this?" Brooke asked quietly; it was nice to have someone believing in her and showing enthusiasm for her work for a change._

"_Yes!" Peyton said enthusiastically. "Plus, you'll regret it if you don't try, trust me."_

_Brooke thought about Peyton's words for a few seconds then smiled to herself; she had to at least try, she owed it to herself. _

"_I have to go, I have some work to do at the office. But if you're feeling scared, or you just want a bit of company; call me." Peyton said, heading for the door._

_Brooke nodded, then turned to Peyton, stopping her before she walked out of the door. "Hey Peyton?..Thank-you."_

Composing herself, Brooke thought about Peyton's words again;

'You have try, you'll regret if you don't...'

"Yes, I'm ready."

The female board member nodded, and Brooke smiled, before pulling the cover off of her display bored and elaborately gesturing to it with her hands. "Ladies and Gentleman, may I present to you, the Clothes over Bro's 2013 Fall line."

_Sitting on the floor in Peyton's office, Brooke leaned against the desk with her sketch pad in front of her._

_It was past ten o'clock at night, and it had just gotten dark as the summer daylight disappeared._

_Brooke's new designs were making slow progress; she couldn't recreate her stolen designs in case Victoria had sold them to someone else in an act of pure spite, and in her current state of mind, inspiration was lost on her._

_But she felt at peace in Peyton's office, and she was hoping that the peace would bring around a burst of creativity._

_She looked up to see Peyton swaying in the middle of the room, her headphones plugged into her iPod as she listened to some digital demos'._

_There was something about the way her slender body moved that, in Brooke's mind, was fluid and poetic, and Brooke found herself smiling as she watched._

_She wondered what the music sounded like and what it was about it that made Peyton go into her own little tranquil world; and then she realized what it was;_

_There was something in the music that spoke to her; music was her heart and her soul, and when she found a song that spoke to her, she didn't even have to think about it, she was instantly inspired by it; that was why she was such an amazing producer; she signed acts based on her heart, not her head._

_And suddenly Brooke was hit with inspiration; inspiration that came straight from her heart._

"In today's current Market, companies are marketing their products though charitable initiatives, such as Project Cinderella who make fashionable clothing for women in the Military with a cut of the profits going to USO, and Katie Green's 'Say no to size Zero' campaign to promote a healthy body image. But another issue in today's society is equal rights for our LGBT friends. LGBT rights are current, they're worldwide, and most importantly, they sell. " Brooke started, her confidence growing with every word she spoke. "So in light of this, may I present to you, the new, the exciting, 'Clothes over Bro's; Live Free' fashion campaign."

The board members nodded their heads and smiled, obviously very intrigued by the idea, but Victoria's was very clearly annoyed. "You have got to be kidding me!"

But Brooke wasn't fazed by her at all.

"What I have come up with are a range of T-shirts, hoodies, belts, and other various accessories, all adorning the well-known Clothes over Bro's logo, but with some slight modifications." Brooke continued, pointing to the display board. "Where the line across the middle of the logo usually goes, instead of a line, there is a slight variation on the LGBT symbol for lesbianism; instead of the traditional vertical alignment of the lesbian symbol, I have spread it out horizontally to replace the line in the C-over-B logo. Of course, Clothes over Bro's is still be on the logo as normal, but underneath, there is the campaign slogan 'Live Free', and this logo will be multi-coloured in honour of the Pride tradition."

Brooke looked around the see the board members still smiling, which was a very good sign.

"The clothing and accessories will come in a range of colours, and a cut of the profits will go to the LGBT rights organisation 'The National Gay and Lesbian Task Force'. The percentage of the cut will, of course, be discussed with yourselves, and if the campaign is successful among gay women, which I truly believe it will be, I will look into expanding into the gay, bi-sexual, and transgender, markets."

"Well Miss Davis, I have to agree with you, it is a very current issue, but it is extremely controversial." A male board member pointed out, his voice portraying the slightest bit of scepticism.

"In my opinion, high risk is high reward, and controversial is high risk, but when that risk pays off, and it will, you will all be extremely happy with the return on your investment; no one ever got rich by shying away from 'controversial', just look at politicians for example, they make a living out of risky and controversial." Brooke pointed out smugly,

"But we're not in a room full of politicians, Brooke." Victoria pointed out, trying to undermine her.

"No, but we're in a room full people who want to make money, so I'll reiterate again, high risk is high reward; think about it."

Brooke smiled smugly to herself again and the board members nodded in agreement.

"But, charitable fashion is only a portion of my new line." Brooke smiled, flipping her display bored over to present some more designs. "This is the part that I know you're all dying to see; the new casual wear line, and the new couture line."

"_What are you listening to?" Brooke asked, when Peyton finally removed her headphones._

"_It's a new demo…" Peyton said, like it was totally obvious._

"_Yes, I know that." Brooke said sarcastically. "What I meant was; what does it sound like?"_

_Peyton smiled. "It sounds like youth, and freedom, and fun…" She said dreamily, and Brooke's brows furrowed._

"_Okay…"_

"_Listen to it." Peyton said excitedly, sitting down on the floor next to Brooke, handing her one of the headphones to put in so they could listen to it together._

"_It's by a group called 'Hired Teenage Assassins', they have a huge social network following, and they're already pretty big on the unsigned act scene." Peyton started to explain, while Brooke bobbed her head to the music. "To you, this song probably just sounds like an angry, stick to the man, protest, set to music, but if you really listen to it, it's about being young, and trying to get people to listen to you, all the while having the best time of your life, and I don't know about you, but I can totally relate to that." _

_Brooke smiled. "Kinda…" A thoughtful look washed over her face, and she turned to Peyton again. "So, is it your stick to the man music choices that make you dress like that?"_

"_Dress like what?!" Peyton exclaimed, laughing._

"_Like…that. Like, rock chick but feminine at the same time; it's a look I've never really seen, but you wear it so well. It's kind of…hot."_

"_Hot?" _

_Brooke chose to let Peyton's question slide._

"_I dress like this because it's comfortable and I like it, my stick to the man music choices are nothing to do with it; I like the music, not the uniform."_

_They sat in silence from then on, and Brooke let her head fall to Peyton's shoulder, and her hand fall to Peyton's denim clad thigh. _

_Peyton didn't move; she didn't even flinch._

_It felt completely natural._

"Vivienne Westwood broke the British market, and eventually the worldwide market, by launching punk-rock fashion into a world of petticoats and pearls, but over the years, that look has died away and now only a select few choose the punk-rock look; but I say, why not follow Vivienne Westwood's legacy, by bringing the punk-rock look back?" Brooke smiled, motioning to her display bored again.

"When discussing a friends love of rock music, she said to me 'I like the music, not the uniform', and that got me thinking… you don't have to be a rocker to wear the clothes, and you can still look as feminine as want; my friend does, and let me tell you, she looks damn good."

Brooke then proceeded to showcase a line of skinny jeans, waistcoats, leather jackets, and dresses, all incorporating the tartan design that was synonymous with the British punk-rock movement.

And as Victoria stared at the sketches, the women Brooke had drawn looked vaguely familiar. But she simply couldn't place her; who the hell did she know that was blonde, and skinny, and friends with Brooke?

"The new Couture line…" Brooke started, but a male board member held his hand up to stop her.

"I've heard enough."

Brooke inwardly panicked; that usually wasn't a good sign.

The board member continued to speak.

"Your new line is innovative, creative, and smart; your charitable line is current, and I completely agree with your theory of high risk and high reward. I don't need to see your couture line because I have complete faith in its success." He said, turning towards the rest of the board. "I don't know about the rest of you, but I'm 100% confident in investing in the Clothes over Bro's 2013 fall line. Brooke Davis, you have my complete financial backing."

The rest of the board members agreed, and Brooke felt elated inside, but she kept it inside, purely to look professional.

Victoria's face went red with rage. "This is not happening. You can't be serious? She's giving half of your money to charity!"

"In this day and age, organizations have to be charitable; Brooke has fantastic business sense for identifying that particular market trend, and investing in someone who has good business acumen is always a smart decision; you'd do well to listen to your daughter in future; Victoria." The female board member smiled, and Victoria gritted her teeth in anger before standing up and pointing at Brooke angrily.

"This is not over!"

Then she walked out of the room, slamming the door behind her.

Not letting Victoria ruin her newly good mood, she turned to the board members to close the meeting.

"We can reconvene at a later date to discuss financial matters and how much of our 'Live Free' profits will go to the charity. But, in the mean-time, I would like to thank you all for your time, and for choosing to continue your investment in Clothes over Bro's."

The board members gave Brooke a round of applause as she gathered up her things and walked out of the room with a renewed feeling of pride and self-esteem.

She'd just proven that she could beat Victoria, no matter what she threw her way.

She'd been attacked, and she still kicked ass with designs that she'd made in a week.

And she wasn't afraid anymore, she had a gun in her house for safety; plus, she knew that Victoria wouldn't try the same thing twice, she'd try psychological warfare this time.

But Brooke was ready for her.

She was Brooke Davis, she was strong, and she was damn indestructible!

She walked through the building with her head held high, thankful that Victoria had obviously left.

She was on top of the world and she was sure that nothing else could make this moment better than it already was; until she stepped outside and saw her inspiration leaning against her car, waiting for her.

She stopped walking when she saw Peyton walking towards her, her hips swaying sensually as she walked, and Brooke licked her lips subconsciously.

Okay, so maybe things just got slightly better…

"So I just saw Victoria storm out of there…"

"Peyton, I did it…" Brooke interrupted the blonde before she could finish. "I did it!" She exclaimed, happy tears falling as the reality finally hit her.

Peyton was right; she didn't give up and she beat Victoria.

She had no regrets; she was the company, not Victoria, and she always would be.

"I am the company, I am the reason that it's successful, and you helped me to realize that." Brooke smiled, pulling Peyton into a tight hug.

"I'm so proud of you, B Davis."

Brooke melted into the hug; Peyton had been there with her every step of the way, literally; she'd helped her produce the new designs, and she'd waited outside when Brooke was in her meeting, ready to be there for her, no matter what the outcome.

Peyton was amazing, and that fact was becoming clearer to Brooke every single day.

"You're an inspiration to me, Brooke Davis, you've been so strong in the face of everything that you've been through these past few weeks, and honestly, I've never met anyone as amazing as you." Peyton whispered in Brooke's ear.

Her words may have come off as somewhat intimate, but Peyton really was in awe of Brooke; the brunette was an inspirational woman… a _beautiful_ inspirational woman at that.

Brooke simply held onto Peyton for a little while longer, then they pulled away and Peyton put her arm around her. "Come on, let's get out of here… maybe you'll start to sleep at night now!"

* * *

**I love a review :)**

**Also, if you like a controversial story, please read and review my new story 'Sally Cinnamon, you're my world.'**


	11. Chapter 11

**This is going to be my last update before I head to Paris for One Tree Hill Con on Friday, so if any of you are interested in hearing all about my trip, PM me or leave a review and I'll check in with you all when I get home on Sunday night :D**

**4 sleeps until Hilarie Burton! :D**

* * *

"So you have everything? Toothbrush, toothpaste, hair dryer, flat irons?" Peyton asked, following Natalie to the front door.

Natalie was leaving for her week of job training in Charlotte, and Peyton had spent the morning helping her pack.

"Yes, I have everything, I'm all set." Natalie laughed, setting her suitcase down by the door and taking Peyton into her arms. "I'm going to miss you though."

Peyton forced a smile; she had to say that she would miss her too, but in truth, a week without Natalie was going to be like a mini vacation.

"I'll miss you too. Have fun in Charlotte… _and be nice_!" Peyton laughed.

Natalie had been trying harder to be nice as of late, but Peyton knew exactly what she was like, and the last thing she wanted was for Natalie to deliberately alienate herself from her colleague's and ultimately end up hating her job.

Plus, she wanted Natalie to make some friends of her own, maybe it would loosen her up a little.

"I'll be nice if _you_ be good." Natalie retaliated, and Peyton raised an eyebrow.

"If I'm good?" She questioned, and Natalie sent her a challenging look, causing Peyton to shake her head in annoyance.

"So what, you want me to stay in the house for a week? Oh no, wait, I can leave the house, just as long as I don't hang out with Brooke…" Peyton said sarcastically, annoyance very evident in her voice.

"I didn't say that, did I?" Natalie huffed, crossing her arms.

"You didn't have to say it."

"Look, I'm leaving for a week, and I don't want to leave mad, so can we just forget about it please, what I said was just a joke…" Natalie said, relenting to Peyton's argument.

"Yeah, a joke with underlying tones of truth." Peyton said sarcastically, turning away from Natalie slightly.

"Peyton."

"Okay, okay, forget it." Peyton relented.

"Thank-you. I have to go, but I'll call you when I get there." Natalie smiled, and Peyton forced a smile again.

"Okay, drive safely."

"I will, baby. I love you." Natalie said, kissing Peyton softly.

"I love you, too." Peyton replied, but the words seemed to choke her; saying those simple little words seemed to be becoming more and more of a challenge every day.

Natalie sent her one last smile, then the brunette was gone, and Peyton watched from the door as Natalie's jeep disappeared down the road.

. . .

"_Good morning_, Millicent." Brooke chirped happily, walking into Clothes over Bro's with her handbag flung over her shoulder.

"You're very…chipper, this morning." Millicent laughed, looking up from some paperwork. "And not that I'm unhappy to see you, but… isn't this your 'day off'?"

"You're very right, it is my day off, but I'm here on personal business." Brooke smiled, slowly raking through some dresses that were on display.

"Personal business?"

"I'm here as a customer…"

"You own the company, Brooke, you're not exactly a customer…" Millicent laughed, and Brooke nodded in agreement.

"Yes I do own this company!" Brooke exclaimed happily.

It had been three days since her meeting with Victoria and the board and she was still on top of the world.

She'd slept well too; she wasn't afraid anymore, it was as though her defeat of Victoria in the board room had somehow caused her fears to disappear; she knew that Victoria wouldn't let things go so easily, but she'd yet to rear her ugly head again, so as of that moment, Brooke was winning.

"I'm here to get a couple of dresses." Brooke explained, and Millicent nodded before looking down at her paperwork again, leaving Brooke free to browse.

. . .

"_Stacy's Mom has got it going on!"_ Peyton sang, dancing around her living room, a bottle of beer in her hand.

It was a little after nine o'clock at night, and Peyton had gotten a shower, dried and styled her hair, simply for something to do, and was now dancing around her living room, making the most of her time without Natalie;

Yes, she could have been making more productive use of her time, but no, instead she wanted to drink beer and play her music _loud!_

She was midway through a drink of her beer when she heard the doorbell ring.

Shutting her music off, she walked to the door and looked though the peep hole, furrowing her brows when she saw Brooke standing on the other side.

She swung the door open, and went to greet Brooke, only to be cut off by the brunette.

"Nice beer, you really are as classy as they come, aren't you P Sawyer."

Arching an eyebrow, Peyton sent Brooke a sarcastic look; "I'm always classy when I come." She then winked at the brunette, and Brooke let out a throaty laugh.

"Touché, P Sawyer, touché." Brooke said, rubbing the back of her neck slightly; the image of Peyton doing _that _was an image that she definitely liked, but it was also an image that she knew she shouldn't be thinking about… even if Peyton had put it into her head. "Anyway…_hi!"_ Brooke continued happily, thrusting a Clothes over Bro's bag in Peyton's direction. "Go put this on."

Peyton peered into the bag to see a black dress, then she looked back at Brooke, suddenly noticing the brunette's very glamorous appearance.

She eyed Brooke from top to bottom; smouldering dark eyes, red lips, hair straightened to sit just below her shoulders, a skin tight red dress, and killer black heels.

She looked smokin' hot, and Peyton couldn't deny it; yes, she had a girlfriend, but Brooke was definitely appealing to the lesbian in her; there was no harm in looking, right?

Smiling at Brooke, Peyton motioned to the bag that Brooke had thrust into her hands. "What's this?"

"A dress; we're going out tonight." Brooke explained, pushing past Peyton and walking into the house.

"Oh really?" Peyton laughed, looking into the bag again. "What is this; 'She's all That'?"

Brooke chose to ignore the blonde's sarcastic jibe.

"Natalie's gone, so I figured you'd be allowed out tonight; also, I've yet to celebrate my successful board meeting; so… instead of standing there like a moron, go get ready!" Brooke said, motioning to Peyton's bedroom with her hand, before walking into the kitchen to grab a beer from the fridge.

"Oh yeah, Brooke, just make yourself at home," Peyton mumbled to herself sarcastically as she walked into her bedroom, doing as Brooke had asked her, while the brunette took a seat on the living room couch.

Two beers on Brooke's part later, Peyton emerged from her bedroom looking absolutely stunning; the dress Brooke had given her was black, tight, and strapless, and she'd paired it with black heels and an emerald green bag for a small splash of colour.

Her hair was mostly straight with a small bunching of curls at the bottom, and she'd kept her make-up simple.

"Ready to go?"

Brooke looked up and had to blink a few times. "Wow, you look…um…I… yeah, I'm ready, let's go."

. . .

"Where are we actually going?" Peyton asked, climbing out of the limo that Brooke had hired, the brunette following behind her.

"Just a little place down here." Brooke said, pointing in the direction that they were walking in.

They'd been driving for a little over twenty minutes so Peyton knew that they were obviously out of Tree Hill, she just wasn't sure where, it wasn't a place that she recognized.

"Where are we?" Peyton asked, stopping to look around.

"Dude, we're in Southport, just, come on!" Brooke said, grabbing Peyton's hand and dragging her along the quiet street until they reached a doorway where Peyton could hear music billowing from inside.

"In here?" Peyton asked, her eyes widening slightly.

"Yup, in here." Brooke smiled, pushing the door opened.

The door opened to a stairway that led down to a small, hole-in-the-wall type, club, and Peyton noticed the gay pride rainbow flags, and posters, that lined the walls as they walked down the stairs.

"Brooke, is this a gay bar?" Peyton asked, holding onto Brooke's hand as the brunette walked in front of her.

"Not exactly, Brooke shouted over the ever growing volume of the music. "It's a lesbian bar, no boys allowed."

"How did you find this place?" Peyton asked, thinking Brooke had only discovered it that night.

"Oh, I just…stumbled across it." Brooke answered as they finally reached the club area, and that's when Peyton started to notice something strange…

A number of women began to greet Brooke as if they'd known her for a while.

Deciding to enquire about it later, Peyton followed Brooke to a quiet area of the bar, where they hopped onto bar stools, and a rather stereotypical, butch type, woman, walked over to take their drink order.

"Brooke, hey, usual?" The butch bartender smiled cheerfully, and Peyton turned to Brooke with furrowed brows; what the hell was going on?

"Barb, hey, yeah, white wine for me, and a…" Brooke started.

"Beer for me." Peyton cut in, and the bartender smiled again.

"Coming right up, ladies."

Brooke looked at Peyton and she could see the questions burning the blonde's beautiful eyes.

"Brooke, what…" Peyton started, but the bartender returned with their drinks.

Brooke paid, then turned to Peyton, smiling. "So, what do you think of this place?"

Peyton raised an eyebrow. "Yeah, nice try. How do all of these people in here know you? And don't say 'because I'm Brooke Davis' because it's more than that."

Brooke laughed, turning away slightly. Did she really have to spell it out? The signs were pretty much speaking for themselves.

"Brooke." Peyton said, turning Brooke around to look at her again. "Are you gay?"

Brooke laughed again, taking a drink from her wine glass.

"Brooke, don't laugh, it's not funny!" Peyton huffed, and Brooke relented with a sigh.

"I was hoping to be a few wines into the evening before we started this conversation; I was maybe even hoping that you'd figure it out and we wouldn't even have to have the conversation…" Brooke said, and Peyton looked at her with a real, genuine, care in her eyes.

"Brooke, why haven't you told anyone?"

Brooke shook her head. "It's…it's not that simple."

She waited for Peyton to nod in understanding before she continued.

"I…I don't know if I am."

"You don't know?" Peyton asked to clarify; she knew that there was lots more to it, she was personally a believer that there was no such thing as not knowing, there was only denial.

Brooke then proceeded to tell Peyton her story.

"This is kind of why I brought you here; I feel like I can be honest with you, and I want to tell you; I had to tell someone. I don't know if I'm gay. I've been attracted to wonen for as long as I can remember, but I've always enjoyed the company of men, and I've always saw myself has having the marriage and the two and a half kids, so I've always assumed that I'm meant to be straight… but lately, that image of my life has become kind of distorted and my attraction towards women has become stronger and stronger. And if I'm honest with myself, I've never really been attracted to a guy as much as I have been for a girl; but I want that life Peyton, the marriage and the two and a half kids, so I just don't know what I am or what I'm supposed to be!"

"You're not supposed to be anything other than what you are…" Peyton pointed out.

"But I don't know what I am!" Brooke huffed, and Peyton looked at her sympathetically.

"I think you do, though…"

Brooke simply nodded her head, unsure of how to answer, so Peyton put her arm around her and pulled her in for a gentle hug.

"Oh honey, it's okay to be gay. I know it seems scary at first, but when you finally get over that gay girl guilt, it becomes amazing, trust me!" Peyton said enthusiastically.

"But I…"

"I know, you don't know if you're gay." Peyton said, standing up. "I'm going to run to the bathroom…if I can find it."

Brooke nodded, then watched Peyton walk away.

In truth, she'd started to realize that she was gay; it was becoming more and more obvious with every passing moment that she spent with her new blonde friend; no woman at the age of 23 has genuine sexual thoughts about a new female friend unless they are gay, and that was the bottom line.

It was admitting it to herself that was the hard part.

"So Brooke Davis has finally accepted the gayness of it all…" Barbara, the bartender, said, leaning her elbow on the bar as she followed Brooke's line of vision, which happened to be planted firmly on Peyton's ass.

"What?" Brooke asked absentmindedly, turning around to face Barb.

"She a date?"

"No! No, she a, she's just a friend." Brooke explained, but Barb picked up on the negativity in her voice.

"You like her, huh?"

Brooke stayed quiet for a few seconds before sighing.

"She has a girlfriend…"

Barb clapped her hands briefly before smiling at Brooke, and Brooke laughed audibly. "What was that for?!"

"That, Brooke, was for finally admitting that you're gay!"

"What…I…" Brooke went to argue, then Barb bent down slightly so she could talk to Brooke quietly.

"Brooke, for over a year, I've watched you come in here and kiss girls and then you tell me that you don't know if you're gay. Well, I've been pretty understanding, but I think we know each other well enough now for me to be start being straight with you; you're not unsure, honey, you're in denial."

Brooke nodded her head; Barb probably sounded harsh, but Brooke knew her, and she knew that the butch bartender was pretty much up-front.

"I asked you if that girl was a date and you didn't give me the whole 'I'm not gay' speech, and when I asked if you like her, you didn't exactly say no, you said 'she has a girlfriend'…" Barb continued, but Brooke cut her off.

"An asshole of a girlfriend who doesn't even deserve her!"

"And you just proved my point again! Don't give me this 'I don't know' shit anymore, because one; you hang out in a lesbian bar, go point out _one_ straight girl in here and I'll let this go; I guarantee you that you'll fail. Two; you like that girl, _you like her a lot_, it's shining right out of you. And three; you, my friend, are gay!"

Brooke dropped her head onto the bar with a sigh, before sitting up again and whispering a barely audible, "I know…"

"So, your girlfriend, what's her name?" Barb asked, and Brooke laughed slightly bitterly.

"My girlfriend…_right."_

"Only in your dreams, right?" Barb laughed, but her voice held a sympathy for Brooke.

Brooke smiled meekly before answering Barbs original question. "Her name is Peyton, and she has a girlfriend who's the very definition of a crazy, undeserving, asshole, bitch-whore. And I'm not saying that because I'm jealous, I'm saying that because Natalie is genuinely a crazy bitch!"

Barb nodded. "have you known Peyton long?"

"Not really, just a few months, we met through mutual friends; but she's become my best friend, she's helped me through a lot of shit, and she's just fucking amazing, not to mention absolutely beautiful… I like her a lot, and Natalie Bennett does not deserve her!"

Barb smiled softly. "You feel like you could give her more than her girlfriend can?"

Brooke's answer to this would definitely confirm her sexuality.

"Yes! And I want to! Women like Peyton, they're rare, and she deserves it all, and I could be everything that she deserves, but I won't get the chance because she has this weird fucking loyalty to Bat-Crap Bennett!" Brooke answered, and Barb nodded.

Yup, Brooke was gay; a big huge gay.

"Does she though? She's here with you right now isn't she, not with her crazy girlfriend…"

"Her girlfriends out of town…" Brooke pointed out.

"Even better."

Brooke furrowed her brows, wondering what Barb was implying, until the penny dropped and she shook head, but Barb began to speak again before she could reply.

"She's on her way back over; but my God did you pick a good one to crush on, she's fucking fine!"

Brooke smiled smugly, almost like it was a compliment to her. "Yes she is!"

"Well, I knew that you thought so considering your eyes didn't leave her ass for one second. But you're also a fine one, Brooke Davis; so don't rule out the possibility that your feelings might be mutual; you may just be surprised."

And with that, Barb went off to serve other customers just as Peyton returned to her seat.

The night passed comfortably, Brooke and Peyton talking and occasionally dancing, and Brooke found it amazing and liberating to finally be able to talk to someone about women.

"Can I ask you something…?" Brooke asked, somewhat drunk after a few too many glasses of wine.

"You kinda just did!" Peyton laughed, in much the same state as Brooke.

"No seriously…. Have you ever, like, cheated on Natalie?"

The thought had been racing around her mind since Barb had mentioned about it being even better that Natalie was out of town, and she finally had the courage to ask.

Peyton sighed, taking a long drink of beer. "Kinda…"

"Kinda?"

"Yeah, like, you know that whole Ross and Rachel 'we were on a break' thing from Friends? It's kinda like that…" Peyton explained and Brooke urged her to continue.

"We were in junior year, and Natalie had gone home to Wisconsin to visit her Dad; I went to a party with Nathan and Haley and the rest of our friends, and of course, Natalie wasn't happy about it, so we got into a pretty bad argument over the phone and I'd had enough of it all, so I ended things. I got pretty drunk that night and ended up sleeping with a girl who'd been in the same dorms as us in freshman year…"

Brooke listened, intrigued, and Peyton continued.

"Natalie got back a few days later, and we ended up getting back together, so I decided not to tell her about what happened at the party. The other girl didn't tell her either, mostly because most people on campus knew not to piss Natalie off, as you can probably understand, and that was that."

Brooke continued to nod, so Peyton knew that she had her full attention.

"Now I don't know if that counts as cheating, because we were _kinda_ broken up at the time, I suppose it just depends on your opinion; but I would never tell Natalie about it, it would just hurt her, you know?" Peyton finished, and Brooke scoffed slightly.

"Yeah, because Natalie doesn't hurt you on pretty much a daily basis!"

"Not the point…" Peyton said curtly, and Brooke shrugged.

"Yes the point. And that was _so _not cheating anyway."

Peyton laughed. "I'm glad you see it my way."

"Yes." Brooke laughed, downing her glass of wine. "Come on, sitting is boring, let's dance!"

Leading Peyton onto the dance floor, they danced in a purely friendly manner at first, until a random woman began to get pretty hands-on with Brooke, and Peyton didn't know why, but it very quickly began to boil her blood.

She watched as the woman's hands began to snake around Brooke's waist; Brooke was clearly uncomfortable and she tried to move away, but Peyton missed this, too focused on the fact that this woman was trying to dance with her new favourite brunette.

So without even thinking, Peyton moved behind Brooke, and slid in in-front of the woman, effectively knocking her out of the way.

And Brooke instantly felt the new, yet familiar, pair of hands, creeping around her waist; so she took full advantage of the situation and pressed her ass into Peyton in a grinding motion.

Peyton took Brooke's cue and began to meet her grind for grind, and suddenly Brooke's arm hooked around her neck.

'_I like my kisses down low, makes me arch my back, when you give it to me slow, baby just like that.'_

But that's as far as their dancing went, and they soon found themselves back at their seats at the bar, having one last drink before heading home.

Barb had called last orders a while ago, and the club had all but emptied, but Barb didn't mind Brooke staying a little after closing; Brooke was a regular and they'd grown into pretty good friends.

Brooke was just finishing off her drink when Peyton excused herself to go to the bathroom again.

"So yeah…Peyton's into you."

"What?" Brooke asked, her eyes popping out of her head in surprise.

"She may not want to admit it to you, or to herself, or whatever; but I saw how she acted when that girl tried to dance with you up there. That was pure jealousy, she likes you, that much is pretty obvious to me." Barb shrugged, and Brooke looked slightly confused.

"You think so?"

"If I'm wrong then… no, in fact, I'm never _ever_ wrong. _She wants you, honey_!"

Brooke smiled, a slight blush creeping over her cheeks.

She thought about what Barb was saying; maybe Peyton did like her, Barb was making a pretty good point.

So in an act of alcohol fuelled courage, Brooke threw a twenty down on the bar to pay for the last round of drinks, then she marched into the women's restrooms, swinging the door open in a dramatic fashion, where Peyton was just finishing drying her hands.

"I'm gay!"

"Well no shit, fucking Sherlock." Peyton laughed, leaning against the row of sinks against the wall.

"No, I'm gay." Brooke said again, walking toward Peyton until she was standing directly in front of her. "And I really, _really_, want you."

Then without giving Peyton time to answer, Brooke stepped even closer to the blonde, pulled her in close, and attached their lips in the most electrifying kiss of her life!

Peyton responded instantly, she was on auto-pilot, it was pretty much a no-brainer.

She placed one hand around Brooke's neck, and the other on her cheek, and allowed Brooke to push her further against the sinks, causing her to unconsciously wrap a leg around Brooke's waist, which Brooke wasted no time in linking an arm under.

Peyton opened her mouth, and Brooke's tongue was in there in an instant, dancing with Peyton's in the most sensual rhythm.

Their kiss grew hungrier by the second, and Brooke found her hand traveling up the length of Peyton's perfect thigh, and it was about to dip under her dress when Peyton whispered a barely audible;

"Natalie…"

Brooke jumped back in surprise. "Way to kill the mood…"

"I can't… I can't do this, I have a girlfriend…I" Peyton rambled, adjusting her clothing and heading for the door.

"Peyton…!" Brooke called after her.

"I have Natalie, I can't do this!" Peyton repeated, the panic beginning to set in, as she walked out of the restroom and began to rush across the now empty club.

"Peyton wait!"

"I'm sorry…" Peyton said, the tears gathering in her eyes as she turned to look at Brooke quickly, before running up the stairs and out of the club in the hope of finding a cab to take her home.

Brooke was at the bottom of the stairs, tears falling from her eyes, when Peyton disappeared out of the main door, and she sighed, defeated, turning to Barb, who was still behind the bar.

"You're going to let it go, just like that?"

Brooke thought for a second then shook her head no in a determined manner, before running up the stairs after Peyton.

But she was seconds too late; when she got outside, Peyton was disappearing down the street in a taxi.

* * *

**10 more reviews until I'm in triple figures; come on guys, get me to one hundred! :D**


	12. Chapter 12

**Has the suspense been killing you? Mwahahahaha!**

* * *

It was eight in the morning.

The sun was bright and it stung Brooke's eyes every time that she opened them.

It'd been a long sleepless night, her mind working overtime, repeating the events of the previous night.

How could she have been so stupid?!

Rubbing her eyes, she sat up on the couch, where she'd landed about five hours previously, and looked down at her attire; she was still wearing her dress, and her mascara had run so badly that she could see it when she squinted her eyes.

But then, crying will do that to you.

Moving to her bedroom, she stripped off her dress and pulled on a pair of sweats and a hoody and lay down on her bed.

Her mind wouldn't let her rest.

She thought that Peyton liked her too, how close they'd gotten in only a matter of months was too substantial to mean nothing, and the way that Peyton was there for her, there was no way that was innocent!

And she was angry at herself too; for putting herself out there. Finally accepting her sexuality was a huge deal, and she'd basically given that part of herself to someone who then threw it back in her face.

She thought that she'd finally found the one to give that part of herself to, but she was wrong, and now she was obliged to come out to everyone else when she wasn't necessarily ready to do so.

But then her mind would flip again, and she'd feel horrible for putting Peyton in a crappy situation; the blonde didn't ask for her affections, nor did she ask for Brooke to come out to her, and she certainly didn't asked to be kissed; she has a girlfriend and that should have been enough to deter Brooke, but then again, the blonde did disclose her lack of love for said girlfriend, and mixed signals were flying all over the place.

The whole thing had become a mess overnight, and Brooke knew that she needed answers.

Standing up, Brooke quickly cleaned her face with a cleansing wipe, pulled her short hair into a pony tail, put on a pair of running shoes, and ran out of the door and into her car, determination evident in her actions.

. . .

Running her hand through her hair, Peyton walked out of her bedroom wearing a flimsy nightshirt and cotton boy shorts.

She hadn't slept a wink, and she'd finally given up on her efforts.

Rubbing her tired eyes, she switched on the coffee maker and put her iPod into the docking system.

She scrolled through her music, trying to find something that fit her mood, and she laughed ironically when the artist she chose was the last thing that she'd ever admit to listening to.

Selecting a few relevant Rihanna songs, she put them into a playlist, then went to pour herself a cup of coffee.

She'd spent the whole night thinking about what had happened with Brooke.

She'd tried to make sense of it all, but failed miserably.

Brooke was an amazing woman, there was no doubt about it, and if she was honest with herself, there were feelings there; but her thoughts continued to revert back to Natalie.

All that she felt was guilt, and it was already tearing her up inside.

The only problem was, she couldn't quite put her finger on why she felt so damn guilty; she'd stopped the kiss, so what the hell was it?

Setting her coffee down on the table, she lay back on the couch and listened to the music in the background…

'_Chest to chest, nose to nose, palm to palm; we were always just that close. Wrist to wrist, toe to toe, lips that felt just like the inside of a rose; so how come when I reach out my fingers, it feels like more than distance between us…?'_

And as she listened to the music, all she could think about was Natalie.

'_In this California king bed, we're ten thousand miles apart. I've been California wishing on these stars on your heart for me, my California _**queen'.**

At one point in their relationship, Natalie was her queen.

But that had been very short lived, and just like the song said, there was more than distance between them.

Every day with Natalie was becoming more and more of a struggle, and she wondered if her connection to Brooke was because of Natalie's distain for her; a sort of rebellion on her part.

But as she used the remote to change the song, her thoughts shifted in another direction.

'_Story of my life, searching for the right, but it keeps avoiding me. Sorrow in my soul, 'cause it seems that wrong, really loves my company.'_

All of her life, she'd always been drawn to fun and rebellion, and maybe being grounded with Natalie for so long had bored her into an attraction to Brooke.

But on the flip side of that, unfaithfulness was never in her personality, the incident in college had been enough to eat her up inside and that technically wasn't even cheating, so even though she didn't love Natalie anymore, she still cared for her, and the thought of being unfaithful to her was making her feel sick.

'_Cause I know that _**she **_knows I'm unfaithful and it kills _**her**_ inside, to know that I am happy with some other _**girl**_, I can see _**her **_dying'._

She knew that Natalie didn't trust Brooke, and perhaps Natalie could see Brooke's intentions before Brooke even knew them herself, but even through all of her guilt, there was one fact that Peyton couldn't deny; being in Brooke's company made her happy, and that kiss had ignited something in her that she'd never felt before, not even with Natalie.

And the fact of the matter was; she'd liked it.

She'd been unfaithful.

'_I don't want to do this anymore, I don't want to be the reason why, every time I walk out the door, I see _**her **_die a little more inside. I don't want to hurt _**her **_anymore, I don't want to take away _**her **_life, I don't want to be, a murderer.'_

She knew that she was Natalie's everything, and she didn't want to leave her with nothing; she wasn't that girl.

But with that thought, came a sudden moment of clarity;

The reason why she felt so damn guilty was actually pretty simple;

She wanted to be unfaithful.

And she wanted to be with Brooke.

But she couldn't allow herself to do it.

She sat up on the couch and went to lift her cup of coffee, when she heard a loud banging on the front door, but before she could move to answer it, the door flew open and a very pissed off Brooke stormed into the living room.

"Why? Why be so good to me, and tell me that you don't love Natalie, and hell, even kiss me back like that, if you don't have any feelings for me; why, Peyton?!"

Peyton stood up and wrapped her arms around herself in defence.

"Brooke…"

"Peyton there's something there with us, and I know you feel it too!" Brooke continued, tears beginning to gather in her tired eyes. "Why do you have this loyalty to Natalie, she doesn't treat you right!"

"Brooke I've been with Natalie for four years, it's not that easy!" Peyton retaliated, finally finding a voice to argue back with the brunette in front of her.

"The hell it's not! Peyton I know that you feel the same for me as I do for you, and I don't understand why you ran from me last night!" Brooke yelled, tears falling now.

"I have a girlfriend, Brooke!"

"So what!"

"So what? You want me to be a cheater?" Peyton asked, her voice quickly rising.

"No. I want _you_. I told you that last night!" Brooke's emotions were quickly getting the better of her.

"Oh, last night when you told me that you're not even sure if you're gay? Yeah, I'm gonna be some straight girls experiment!" Peyton yelled back sarcastically.

"You're not an experiment, Peyton, I'm gay and I have feelings for you, what part of that don't you get?!" Brooke pleaded.

Brooke's words were affecting her, and hearing Brooke say that she has feelings for her was causing butterflies to gather in Peyton's stomach.

But she couldn't let herself go for it.

She couldn't do that to Natalie.

She wasn't that girl.

"What don't I get?! Why now, huh? Why me? I've known you for months and you do this now? What is this, Brooke, grief? I don't know if your attack has made you confuse your close friendship with me as something more, but I won't be your post traumatic fling, Brooke, I'm not risking my relationship!"

"You think that's what this is? How dare you use my attack as an excuse to shoot me down! That's low Peyton, and you know it!" Brooke scathed angrily.

"What, no, I… Brooke, I'm not shooting you down, I'm just saying that I can't risk my relationship because you're grieving." Peyton explained, calmer than before.

She'd never make a mockery of Brooke's attack like that.

"I'm not grieving! I've felt like this since the first moment that I saw you! You wouldn't be a fling, Peyton." Brooke pleaded again.

Peyton ran her hands up over her eyes then through her hair, before pacing around the living room a little.

"Brooke, I…I can't do this. I'm sorry, but I can't."

Brooke began to sob and covered her face with her hands.

"Peyton, please don't do this, you know that you shouldn't be with Natalie…"

"I can't throw away four years…"

"But I know that you have feelings for me, too." Brooke replied, taking her hands away from her face, where Peyton could see the tears rolling down her cheeks.

"Brooke, I'm not denying that, okay, I'm not. So please don't think that I don't have any feelings for you, because a part of me does. But I have a girlfriend and I'm settled, and I can't risk throwing my life away."

Brooke looked into Peyton's eyes, causing the blonde to tilt her head away, and Brooke furrowed her brows slightly.

There was something in Peyton's actions that made Brooke think that the blonde wasn't being entirely honest with her.

She walked forward and took Peyton's hands in hers.

"Look me in the eye and tell me that you have more feelings for Natalie than you do for me."

Peyton remained silent, and tears gathered in her green eyes.

"Look me in the eye and tell me, Peyton."

Peyton closed her eyes and shook her head.

"You can't, can you?" Brooke said, her sobs finally subsiding.

When Peyton remained silent still, Brooke let her go and walked to the front door, turning back to say some final words to the blonde.

"Natalie might give you a life, but I could give you the whole world…"

As soon as the front door closed behind the brunette, Peyton collapsed to the floor in a flood of uncontrollable tears.

* * *

Brooke sat at her breakfast bar, a glass of wine in hand, her iPod playing in the background.

It'd been hours since she left Peyton's house, but the situation still continued to spin around in her mind.

Peyton felt just as strongly for her as she did for Peyton, and it was a fact that Brooke was now sure of.

And she'd be damned if she gave up so easily.

As she listened to the song playing from her iPod, all she could think about was Peyton...

_'I keep asking myself, wondering how, I keep closing my eyes but I can't block you out. Want to fly to a place where it's just you and me, nobody else so we can be free.'_

But Peyton was so damn loyal to Natalie and it was the one thing that was making Brooke doubt herself.

She knew she could give Peyton everything, but Peyton couldn't see that, and if the blonde never seen it then she'd never have a chance.

_'And I'm all mixed up feeling cornered and rushed, they say it's my fault, but I want her so much. Want to fly her away, where the sun and the rain, wash in over my face, wash away all the shame. When they stop and stare don't worry me, 'cause I'm feeling for her, what she's feeling for me. I can try to pretend, I can try to forget, but it's driving me mad, going out of my head'._

She was about to refill her wine glass, when the door opened, and in walked Haley, who let out a slight chuckle.

"Lesbian angst music? Who do you think you are; Peyton?"

Brooke let out a bitter laugh.

"Yeah... Peyton..."

Haley furrowed her brows.

"Is everything okay?"

Brooke sighed. "Let's just say, Peyton and I aren't on the best of terms right now. And no, I don't want to talk about it."

"Um, okay... Natalie related by any chance?" Haley asked.

"You could say that..." Brooke said bitterly.

Haley nodded. "Guess your not in the mood for a coffee then?" She said, gesturing to the wine glass in Brooke's hand.

"Not really, no." Brooke replied, pouring more wine into the glass.

Haley shrugged then walked back over to the front door. "I'll leave you to it then."

Brooke looked up at her and took another drink of her wine.

"And Brooke, you and Peyton will work it out. You guys are great friends, don't let something silly ruin it."

"Friends, yeah... maybe that's the problem."

* * *

**I know, I'm sorry, I'm sorry!**

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